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Subway victim remembered at Brooklyn memorial as advocates push for safer transit system

a memorial for Debrina Kawam on Jan. 12.
Rev. Kevin McCall speaks during a Jan. 12 memorial service for Debrina Kawam, calling for accountability and increased subway safety measures following the tragic killing on Dec. 22.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Community members gathered at the First Baptist Church of Sheepshead Bay on Sunday in memorial of Debrina Kawam, who died tragically after being set on fire while sleeping aboard a subway train on Dec. 22.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a migrant who had re-entered the United States illegally, stands accused of committing the crime while allegedly intoxicated. Authorities say Zapeta-Calil allegedly approached Kawam aboard an F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, and used a lighter to set her on fire. Kawam was pronounced dead at the scene.

During Sunday’s memorial service, Rev. Kevin McCall, a civil rights leader with the Crisis Action Network, called for accountability and increased subway safety measures.

debrina kawam
Debrina Kawam, the victim, years before her death. Photo courtesy of Kawam family

“Debbie was a soul,” McCall said, vowing to care for her posthumously by supporting her loving, but private family.

The reverend then turned his attention to the New Yorkers who stand accused of standing idly by.

“We need to turn our attention to New Yorkers, who turned their phones on and didn’t help her,” he said. “To the two New York City officers who did nothing — you need to be fired. Are they trained to have a heart?”

McCall — who in late December organized a vigil at the subway station where Kawam was killed — also urged the MTA to equip subway cars with fire extinguishers.

“We need the Lord on the line,” he added.

parisioners at debrina kawam memorial
Parishioners, including members of the Guardian Angels, listen intently as Rev. Kevin McCall addresses the crowd, urging New Yorkers to take action and support victims of violence. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Officers stationed at the station reported seeing smoke early on Dec. 22. When they on the platform, they found Kawam engulfed in flames inside the subway car. Zapeta-Calil allegedly sat on a bench on the platform, though officers did not immediately recognize him as the suspect.

Body camera footage captured clear images of his face, which were circulated to the public as the NYPD launched a manhunt. Hours after the incident, a group of teens spotted Zapeta-Calil onboard a train at the Jay Street-MetroTech station and alerted authorities. Police intercepted the train at Herald Square, where they apprehended the suspect. Local 14-year-old Kingston Tse was among the group who called police, and Council Member Susan Zhuang recognized him for his actions earlier this month. 

Zapeta-Calil, 33, appeared before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on Jan. 7 for arraignment on first-degree murder charges in the brutal killing. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held in custody indefinitely without bail.

Police said Kawam’s body was so badly burned that it took several days to identify her. Family members have said she grew up in Toms River, NJ, but was living in the New York City shelter system when she was killed.

sliwa f train
Guardian Angels Founder Curtis Sliwa with a homeless man on board a subway train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station on Dec. 29, 2024. File photo by Dean Moses

Her death has sparked outrage, both locally and citywide, with advocates and officials demanding stronger safety measures and better training for transit staff and police officers

Members of the Guardian Angels, a volunteer safety patrol group, attended Sunday’s memorial. In response to Kawam’s killing, Curtis Sliwa, the group’s founder, deployed 150 volunteers to patrol the subway system, beginning at major hubs like Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue before spreading out across the network.

“We need to feel safe,” McCall said Sunday.