A woman died in a fire in the New York subway

By Andrew Hay

(Reuters) – Debrina Kawam, 57, of Toms River, New Jersey, has been identified as the woman who was burned to death on a New York City subway train earlier this month, the New York medical examiner’s office said on Tuesday.

Kawam was identified through fingerprint analysis and her death from heat and asphyxiation was ruled a homicide, said Julie Bolser, a spokeswoman for the headquarters. Treatment (Tase:) Detective.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “There was a short stint on our homeless shelter system,” without giving further details.

Sebastián Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen, is accused of arson and murder after watching Kawam set herself on fire and burn to death in a metro station.

Zapetta was arrested six hours later by police after police said he used a lighter to set fire to Kwame’s clothing, which appeared to be dripping on the F train at the Coney Island-Stilwell Avenue stop in Brooklyn.

The suspect entered the United States without authorization in 2018 and was deported to Guatemala a few days later. The timing of his illegal re-entry was unclear, the US Department of Homeland Security said.

There appears to have been no prior interaction between the attacker, a Brooklyn man, and Kawam, police said.

A Department of Homeland Security statement said Zappetta will face deportation proceedings again whenever he is released from a New York prison, which could result in a lengthy prison sentence if convicted.