Sebastian Zapeta pleads not guilty to setting Debrina Kawam on fire on Coney Island subway train

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.

Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan migrant living in a Brooklyn men’s shelter, was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on first-degree murder and arson charges. Chun ordered he remain held without bail until his next court appearance March 12.

Until recently, 57-year-old Kawam was listed as a “Jane Doe” on the indictment against Zapeta. Authorities identified her last week and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Perry on Tuesday had the document amended to include her name.

Zapeta approached Kawam as she slept in an F train stopped at the end of the line at Coney Island-Stillwell Ave. station at about 7:30 a.m. Dec. 22, according to cops. They appeared to be strangers, police said.

He said nothing to her as he set her clothing ablaze with a lighter, then fanned the fire with a shirt as the flames engulfed her, according to prosecutors.

Chilling video shows Zapeta sitting on a bench on the train platform as Kawam burned to death as she stood helplessly near the subway car’s open door.

Surveillance video later recovered by cops shows Zapeta inside the subway car and a police officer’s body cam got a clear shot of his face, cops said. The NYPD quickly released images of the suspect to the media and a trio of high schoolers spotted him on another train later in the day and called 911, the commissioner said.

Zapeta was arrested by Customs and Border Patrol in Arizona on June 2, 2018, sources said, then removed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and returned to Guatemala. But he made his way back to the U.S. sometime after.

His lawyer, Andrew Friedman, once again reserved the right to apply for bail at a later date.