NYC Gazette

The illegal alien arrested for setting a woman on fire aboard a New York City subway has been indicted on multiple charges following his court appearance on Friday, December 27. 

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, from Guatemala, was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of murder and one count of arson.

The victim has been identified as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, a resident of Toms River township in New Jersey. NYC Mayor Eric Adams confirmed Kawam had a “brief stint” in the city’s shelter system, and city officials have since spoken to her next of kin. 

Zapeta-Calil is accused of setting Kawam’s clothing on fire while she was asleep on an F train on December 22. New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference that he then used a shirt to fan the flames, causing the fire to spread rapidly.

According to Tisch, Zapeta-Calil’s actions caused the fire to engulf the woman “in a matter of seconds.” Surveillance footage also reportedly shows him watching the woman burn from outside the subway car. 

The New York City Office of the Medical Examiner has ruled the death a homicide, citing “thermal injuries” and “smoke inhalation” as the cause.

During his first court appearance, Zapeta-Calil did not enter a plea or speak. However, prosecutors say he told police he “drinks a lot of liquor” and has no memory of the incident. 

On Friday, December 27, Zapeta-Calil was formally indicted. He waived his right to appear in court and is now scheduled for arraignment on January 7.

Police were able to identify Zapeta-Calil after three high school students recognized him from images released by authorities. They called 911, and officers later apprehended him on another subway train, still wearing the same clothing.

“Someone saw something, we got it out through technology in numerous ways, and we were able to make a quick arrest in this nothing less than heinous crime that occurred in our subway system,” said Joseph Gulotta, chief of transit for the NYPD.

Federal immigration authorities confirmed Zapeta-Calil was previously deported from the U.S. in 2018 and reentered the country illegally. 

“I’m told he was arrested by Border Patrol on 6/1/2018 after he crossed illegally into Arizona, and he was deported just days later on 6/7/2018. DHS has no record of him entering the U.S. after that, meaning he snuck back into the U.S. without any encounter with Border Patrol or CBP - but it’s unknown where and when that happened,” Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin said on X.

If convicted, Zapeta-Calil faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.