Man accused of setting woman ablaze on NYC subway claims he was too drunk to remember incident

The 33-year-old said he didn’t remember the incident after drinking alcohol earlier in the day

The man accused of setting a woman ablaze on the New York City subway has pleaded not guilty after claiming he was too drunk to remember committing the crime.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, was arraigned on murder and arson charges in Brooklyn Criminal Court in connection with the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57. Court documents reveal police played Zepeta-Calil the video of Kawam’s murder, to which he responded, “Oh damn, that’s me,” CNN reports.

He went on to tell police he doesn’t “remember” the incident, noting he drank alcohol earlier in the day, according to CNN.

“I am very sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to. But I really don’t know. I don’t know what happened, but I’m very sorry for that woman.”

Prosecutors say Zapeta-Calil set Kawam on fire on a stopped F train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station last month before fanning the flames with a shirt and sitting on a platform bench to watch the scene.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil said “oh damn, that’s me” when police showed him a video of Debrina Kawam’s murder, according to court documents. (AP)

Prosecutors also argue Zapeta-Calil confirmed to officers he was the man in surveillance photos and videos of the fire but said he drinks a lot of alcohol and did not recall what happened.

Zapeta-Calil, a Guatemalan citizen who authorities say entered the country illegally after being deported in 2018, faces multiple counts of murder as well as an arson charge. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

He was previously arraigned on a criminal complaint, but in New York, all felony cases require a grand jury indictment to proceed to trial unless a defendant waives that requirement.

During questioning, Zapeta-Calil claimed he had no memory of the incident that shook New Yorkers. (AP)

Prosecutors with Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s office announced Zapeta had been indicted in late December.

Zapeta-Calil’s lawyer didn’t respond to an email seeking comment, the Associated Press reported.

The killing has renewed discussion about safety in the nation’s largest mass transit system even as crime in the subway remains relatively rare.

Transit crime is down for the second straight year, with a 5.4% drop last year compared to 2023, according to data released by police Monday, which also showed a 3% overall drop in major crimes citywide.

Still, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a Monday news conference discussing the statistics that riders simply "don’t feel safe."

In response, she said the department will surge more than 200 officers onto subway trains and deploy more officers onto subway platforms in the 50 highest-crime stations in the city.

"We know that 78% of transit crime occurs on trains and on platforms, and that is quite obviously where our officers need to be," Tisch said. "This is just the beginning."

Additional reporting by AP.