Man Accused of Burning Toms River Woman Alive on Subway Makes Court Appearance
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March 18, 2025Man Accused of Burning Toms River Woman Alive on Subway Makes Court Appearance
A 33-year-old man who was charged with burning a Toms River woman alive on a New York City subway appeared in court on Wednesday.
Sebastian Zapeta appeared in Kings County Supreme Court, nearly three months after he allegedly set 57-year-old Debrina Kwam, of Toms River, on fire.
According to the police, she had fallen asleep on the F train at the Coney Island stop on Stillwell Avenue.
Zapeta entered a not guilty plea in January to accusations that included arson and first-degree murder.
Prosecutors say those actions left Kawam burned alive and unrecognizable.
Prosecutors displayed Zapeta with images and a video of someone setting Kawam on fire in the indictment. When questioned about the identity of the individual, Zapeta said, "That's me."
During interrogation, he also acknowledged that he has a drinking problem, which took over him that December morning. The District Attorney's Office requested that Judge Daniel Chun mandate Zapeta submit a fresh DNA sample.
Zapeta will appear in court again on May 7, 2025.
