NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: Subway Fire Victim Identified, New 2025 Laws, Katz’s Accessibility Settlement, Daily Ocean Plunges, and a Family Recipe

Episode Date: December 31, 2024

Police say they have identified the subway fire victim as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam of Toms River, New Jersey. Investigators say Sebastian Zapeta set her on fire while she was sleeping on a train on Dec. 22. He was indicted last week. Meanwhile, a number of new laws will take effect in New York State as 2025 begins, including fare evasion penalties, a minimum wage hike, and paid time off for prenatal visits. Also, Katz’s Delicatessen has agreed to accessibility upgrades after settling a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department over violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Plus, WNYC’s Brigid Bergin reports on a group of New Yorkers taking daily icy plunges in the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, WNYC highlights Cara DeGracia of Queens, who shares her love for lumpia, a Filipino family favorite.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jared Marcel. Police are identifying the woman who was burned to death on the subway earlier this month in an incident that went viral. The NYPD says she was 57-year-old Debrina K. Wom of Tom's River, New Jersey. According to the city medical examiner's office, investigators were able to confirm her identity and notify her next of kin by analyzing her fingerprints. Police say she was sleeping on the train early on December 22nd

when Sebastian Zapata approached her and set her on fire. He was arrested later that day, following a tip from members of the public who police say recognized him based on surveillance footage of the incident. Zapata was indicted last week. His attorney did not immediately comment. New Year, new laws. A number of new laws will take effect in New York State as the calendar flips to 2025.

One change revamps penalties for skipping the fare on MTA buses and trains. A first offense will get a written warning, but a third offense could cost you a $150 fine. The minimum wage is also increasing. Workers in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island will see the rate jump to 1650 an hour, up from 16. and the rest of the state, it'll rise to 1550 an hour. And a new law will require private employers to offer up to 20 hours of paid time off for prenatal visits, giving pregnant workers time for doctors' appointments and other medical care. Caddellie, famous for its pastrami on Rye, is making changes to improve accessibility for customers with disabilities.

Federal prosecutors say the Delhi's main entrance at Houston and Lulow Street isn't accessible to disabled people, and its bathrooms don't comply with the... Americans Disabilities Act, even after renovations in 2018. The Justice Department sued and Katz settled by agreeing to make the necessary improvements and pay a fine. The over 100-year-old Delhi says it has worked closely with the Justice Department to ensure everything is right. Up next, we meet a small group of New Yorkers who take a cold plunge in the Atlantic

ocean every day. That's after the break. For a certain set of New Yorkers, New Year's Day involves wading into the icy Atlantic Ocean for an annual polar bear plunge. But for a small dedicated group of local dippers, confronting the cold water is a daily ritual. WNYC's Bridget Bergen caught up with members of the New York Dippers Club and has their story. It's Friday afternoon just before sunset on Beach 67th Street in the Rockaways. As I walk towards the boardwalk, I meet 63-year-old Tomaz-Domaz. Dubus, one of the newest members of the New York Dippers.

He likes to go by Tomic. Tomic, it's like William and Billy. When you old, Tomas. I like to stay young. So Tomic is like a little boy. His silver goatee stretches three inches off his chin. He's wearing heavy black pants, a black hat, and a black winter coat. For now.

I asked him what his first dip with a group was like last month. It wasn't that cold, so it was very. Great. I'll go to my uncle, my knee, my waist, then boom, up to my neck. The hardest point is to get out. As someone who's done two Iron Man distance triathlons, Dibis is drawn to the physical challenge of the cold plunge. Others say the benefits are to their mental health. My husband and I have two teenagers through the New York foster system.

Mike O'Donnell is one of the group's leaders. And one of them fell into substance abuse, and it was beyond my capacity. to help and navigate that. And there was a strain on our marriage. There was a strain on my parenting. It was just too much. He says the daily practice helped him navigate that period more than two years ago.

And now I still do this for my own mental health. I'm a better me if I'm in the ocean every day. Jen Mahmood makes the trek from Flatbush in Brooklyn. I'm new this season. Today makes day 36 of me dipping every day. She says on her first day, she was in physical pain. But I went in the ocean. When I came back out, the pain was gone.

I met all these lovely people. Everybody's been very supportive, very welcoming, very helpful, and it just feels like home. We've shifted from the boardwalk to the beach where they all begin stripping off their layers. Coats and hats and shoes just pile up on the sand. It's a fairly calm day, not like it was yesterday with the waves. The waves kicked our tails yesterday.

So this is actually nice. Who's up for a selfie? Hey, Susie. O'Donnell maintains the group's social media. There are before and after selfies and photos of members who hit personal milestones. Each on their own time, they stride towards the water and step by step, take the plunge.

This is all the fun! There are at least nine of them in the ocean right now, bobbing like corks, squealing and laughing. So it's currently 34 degrees. and Rockaway. It says the real feel with the wind is about 20 degrees, but they're going for it. They stick it out for at least five minutes. When Mahmoud comes out, I ask her, how was it? Refreshing, exhilarating. O'Donnell doesn't apply pressure, but he encourages me not to rule plunging out. What I tell everybody is, don't be a no. You don't need to be a yes, but don't be a no. Be a maybe

someday. Maybe someday. Maybe someday. Maybe someday. I'm glad I didn't wear my bathing suit. You'd have me, like, jumping in there today. The group gathers for their after selfie. Come on to it. Here we are. Standing in a wet clump, they smile, radiant and shivering. And for a moment, I think I understand why they all do it.

And maybe someday, I'll join them. The group meets up at 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday. sunset on Fridays and 10 a.m. on weekends. You could read more about the group and see some photos at our website, goddamist.com. The taste of a favorite dish can bring back powerful memories. WNYC's Community Partnerships Desk is asking New Yorkers to share stories about family recipes that hold special meaning. My name is Kara de Gracia. I'm 17 and I'm from Queens and my family is from the Philippines. The recipe that comes to mind when I think of family is Lumpia, which is a Filipino dish. They're like these little rolls with meat and vegetables and everything.

It's typically made with pork. We like to dip it in sweet chili sauce, which adds a little bit of like a little kick to it. Usually during the holidays, me and my family will gather around in the kitchen and I'll help my mom roll the lumpia or basic stuff, like putting the meat. And the wrapper, it's like this rice kind of thing. So when you wet it, it'll stick. Typically, when my mom is frying the lumpia, I'll be hungry already. So when she's making it, I'll just be snacking on it.

Even before family has arrived. My family makes it for the holidays. But what's special, I think, about Filipino food is when you go to restaurants, it feels home-cooked. and made with love. Back in 2020, right before the pandemic hit, I went to the Philippines, and I really enjoyed it. The food, it was amazing. It was really nice to be able to see my family

meet some of my family members that I'd never met before because I was born here in the city. My mom hadn't seen them for about 15 years. And I distinctly remember our whole family, probably around like 20, 30 people sitting outside, eating a lot of food. And it was really fun because there was some food that I never tried before and I actually really enjoyed. In the future, I would like to get more into cooking and try and pass on through Olympia

and Filipino dishes. More of my culture. I think it would really help reflect in the next generation how close our family is. Cara de Gracia lives in Queens Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC Just a heads up that we'll be running one episode tomorrow for the new year I'm Jared Marcel Happy New Year's see you tomorrow