The woman who tragically died after being set on fire in a New York subway train has been identified as a 57-year-old from New Jersey named Debrina Kawam, according to police reports released on Tuesday. Kawam had previously worked at pharmaceutical giant Merck from 2000 to 2002 before experiencing hardships that led her to a brief stay in a New York homeless shelter. Authorities notified her family in Toms River, New Jersey, about her untimely death on December 22.
Mayor Eric Adams expressed condolences to Kawam's family, calling the incident a horrific tragedy. The unfortunate event occurred just hours before another disturbing act of violence on the subway system, where a 45-year-old man was pushed onto the tracks at a Manhattan station, leaving him critically injured.
