NEW YORK — A man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to burning a sleeping woman to death inside a New York City subway train. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was arraigned on murder and arson charges in Brooklyn court in connection with the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57.

The deadly fire on the F train was one of several high-profile acts of violence in New York City's subway system at the end of last year, even as transit crime dropped overall in 2024. The NYPD on Monday pledged to send 200 more officers into the subway, with a focus on train cars and platforms.

The man accused of killing of a woman by setting her on fire on a New York City subway car last month pleaded not guilty to murder charges Tuesday. Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old undocumented migrant from Guatemala, set 57-year-old Debrina Kawam on fire as she was asleep in the subway car in Brooklyn on Dec. 22, said authorities.

The man accused of burning a sleeping woman to death inside a New York City subway train is set to be arraigned Tuesday on murder and arson charges. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, will appear in Brooklyn court in connection with the killing of Debrina Kawam,

The man accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway told detectives, “Oh, damn, that’s me,” when he saw video of the attack but said he couldn’t remember anything, according to a transcript released Tuesday.

Sebastian Zapeta, the migrant accused of fatally setting homeless woman Debrina Kawam on fire on a Coney Island subway train, pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn Supreme Court Tuesday to the horrific caught-on-video attack that shocked the city.