The New York Police Department ( NYPD) on Tuesday announced they identified the woman who died after being set on fire while inside a New York City subway train as Debrina Kawam. Kawam, 57, had an address in Toms River, New Jersey, according to the NYPD.

In December 2024, a woman was brutally set on fire in a New York City subway. She has now been identified as 57-year-old Toms River, New Jersey, resident Debrina Kawam. As the NYPD and Mayor Eric Adams spoke to the press, they explained more details about the terrifying crime.

The New York City Police Department identified the sleeping woman a man set on fire while aboard the subway last week. Debrina Kawam, 57, had recently moved to New York City from Toms River, a township on the Jersey Shore. She had a “brief stint” in the city’s homeless shelter system, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.