NEW YORK (WABC) – The woman killed when she was set on fire in a subway car in Brooklyn has been tentatively identified by police using fingerprints, dental information and DNA evidence.

On Tuesday, NYPD officers identified her as 61-year-old Debrina Kawam, originally from Toms River.

It is believed she was homeless and sleeping on the subway when she was set on fire.

Last week, a grand jury indicted the suspected subway arsonist on four counts of murder — one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson — during a hearing Friday.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, did not appear in court when prosecutors briefly announced the charges, but he is required to appear when he is arraigned on the charges on Jan. 7.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said that “first-degree murder carries the possibility of life without parole” and called the charge “more significant in state court than it is currently in federal court.”

“We firmly believe that this case belongs in state court,” he said, quickly adding: “We have a very close working relationship with our federal partners and of course we will always do what is in the best interest of the case.”

His comments came after Mayor Eric Adams directed the NYPD to work with Homeland Security and ICE to investigate the prosecution of undocumented immigrants.

RELATED | Adams suggests federal prosecutors also take over the accused subway arsonist’s case after a woman was killed

Gonzalez thanked jurors who viewed graphic surveillance video of her death recovered from a subway car.

“It’s very difficult to have to see the video and images of a woman being set on fire, especially around the holidays,” he said. “This was a malicious act, a vulnerable woman sleeping in our subway system. This was intentional and we intend to prove this in court.”

Police arrested Zapeta as he rode the train on the same route later that day. Authorities say he claimed not to know what happened but identified himself in photos and surveillance video that showed the fire being lit.

An address for Zapeta in Brooklyn, released by police after his arrest, matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support.

Federal immigration officials said he was deported in 2018 but returned to the U.S. illegally sometime after that.

The harrowing episode has renewed concerns about safety in the country’s largest mass transit system.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

RELATED | A man responsible for a woman’s fiery death used his shirt to fan flames, prosecutors said

———-

* Get eyewitness news

* More news from New York City

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Do you have a breaking news tip or idea for a story we should cover? Submit it to Eyewitness News using the form below. The terms of use apply to attaching a video or photo.