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Woman burned to death in horrific subway attack identified: police

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Woman burned to death in horrific subway attack identified: police

The woman who was heinously burned alive in a New York City subway car last week has been identified as a 57-year-old woman from New Jersey, Fox News Digital has learned.

Police tell Fox News Digital the woman has been identified as Debrina Kawam of Toms River, a township and coastal town located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County. Kawam was lit on fire and burned to death on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 22.

Officials were unable to identify Kawam’s body for days after the attack because she was so severely burned. The NYPD did not provide an official cause of death.

Police investigate at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn after a woman aboard a subway car was set on fire and died in New York, United States on Dec. 22, 2024. Police believe the woman had been sleeping aboard the train when a man approached her and set her on fire. She was pronounced dead at the scene. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

SANCTUARY CITY NEW YORK PRESSURED TO MAKE DRASTIC CHANGE AFTER ILLEGAL MIGRANT ALLEGEDLY BURNS WOMAN ALIVE

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The homeless nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless previously stated that the victim may have been homeless at the time of her death. Police were unable to confirm if she was homeless.

The New York Post, citing police sources, reports that Kawam had been living in New York City shelters since at least Sept. 9 and had been given a bed at the Franklin Williams Women’s Shelter in the Bronx on Nov. 30 but left on Dec. 2.

WATCH: Eric Adams discusses subway burning victim Debrina Kawam

On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he did not have any additional information on Kawam, other than that she had a brief stint in the city’s homeless shelter system.

“Our hearts go out to her family. A horrific incident to have to live through,” Adams told reporters at a daily press briefing. 

“Just watching that tape, just really I couldn’t watch it all the way through. It was just a bad incident and it impacts on how New Yorkers feel.”

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He said that homeless people should not be living in the subway system and instead should be in a place of care. 

“And no matter where she lived, that should not have happened,” Adams said. “But we have far too many people that believe, they should be on our subway system and living on our streets, and we can’t throw our hands up and allow that to happen.”

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, a previously deported immigrant from Guatemala, was arrested hours after the horrific incident which shocked the nation. 

H⁠⁠e’s been indicted on one count of murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree and one count of arson in relation to the horrific case. 

NYPD officers escort Sebastian Zapeta from an F train in Coney Island from a precinct in Lower Manhattan on Dec. 22, 2024. (Courtesy: G.N. Miller/New York Post)

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CRITICS WARN OF ‘DANIEL PENNY EFFECT’ AFTER WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON NYC SUBWAY CAR AS BYSTANDERS WATCHED

Surveillance video of the attack showed the suspect approaching the woman, who was sitting motionless and may have been sleeping, while aboard a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station and then setting her on fire.

Police say Zapeta used a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds. Video from the scene shows Kawam standing while on fire, indicating she was alive when set on fire. 

The suspect then stayed on the scene and sat on a bench just outside the train car, as officers and a transit worker extinguished the flames. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court on Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)

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Zapeta faces life without the possibility of parole on the murder in the first-degree charge, while second-degree murder carries 25 years to life, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said earlier this week.

“This was malicious. A sleeping, vulnerable woman on our subway system,” Gonzalez added. “This act surprised many New Yorkers as they were getting ready to celebrate the holidays but now New Yorkers are waking up and understanding that on the 22nd of this year, this happened. This was intentional and we hope to prove this.”

Adams’ office tells Fox News Digital that the mayor has directed the NYPD and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) team to explore criminal charges against Zapeta under the federal arson statute.

Zapeta was apprehended by Border Patrol and subsequently deported by the Trump administration on June 7, 2018, after he crossed illegally into Sonoita, Arizona, a week prior, ICE spokesperson Jeff Carter tells Fox News. Zapeta later re-entered the U.S. illegally on an unknown date and location, Carter said. 

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Boston, MA

Boston City Council starts new term with turbulence

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Boston City Council starts new term with turbulence


A chaotic carousel is turning at Boston City Hall.

One week has passed since City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents District 9, was elected president following a last-minute candidacy.

“It’s been a very rock start,” said District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn.

“It’s really important, today, that we move forward,” said City Councilor Sharon Durkan of District 8.

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Breadon claiming the gavel was aided by a late-night meeting from Durkan and District 5 City Councilor Enrique Pepén, who came to Breadon’s home hours before the vote asking her to be a compromise candidate.

In November, District 1 City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata claimed to have the votes needed to become council president, but she faced a challenge from City Councilor Brian Worrell of District 4.

Coletta Zapata bowed out of the race the night before the vote.

“This city council election for presidency divided the council,” said Flynn. “Many people thought of all the 13 city councilors, the most talented and well-respected was Brian Worrell.”

“You actually saw it all play out in real time on the council floor,” said Durkan. “A lot’s been made about the visit that I made to Councilor Braden’s house. It really, I just thought she would make a good president, and when I was unable to reach her on the phone, I just thought, ‘Why not.’”

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Questions have also swirled about whether Boston Mayor Michelle Wu played a role in Breadon’s candidacy.

“My choice for president has always been about what I think is good for the city, but it’s true, what’s good for the city council and what’s good for the mayor is good for the city,” said Durkan.

That back-and-forth spilled into the weekend. On Friday, Breadon told NBC10 Boston’s @Issue that she would choose Coletta Zapata as her vice president. But on Saturday, she said Coletta Zapata wanted to be chair of government operations instead, and that Worrell would be vice president.

Sunday night, Worrell said he would decline the role, and on Monday, Coletta Zapata said she had accepted it.

“I look forward to a city council that’s ready to work, together, for our city,” Coletta Zapata said via text message.

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Breadon echoed those sentiments on @Issue.

“It behooves me to really engage with my colleagues and try and heal the wounds and move forward as a solid body,” she said.

The Boston City Council does not have a scheduled meeting until Jan. 28 as committee assignments for the term are finalized.



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Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh Steelers release inactive list for Texans playoff game, including two young players

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Pittsburgh Steelers release inactive list for Texans playoff game, including two young players


PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their inactive list for the Houston Texans, and it has no surprises on it with the team fully healthy.

Running back Kaleb Johnson and wide receiver Roman Wilson remain inactive. The Steelers gave both chances to prove what they could do, but they have been inactive for the last few weeks after the team shortened its rotation.

Meanwhile, offensive lineman Jack Driscoll remains inactive. Driscoll is the ninth offensive linemen on the roster, and the team is fully healthy at that position, meaning that he will not play.

Quarterback Will Howard remains the emergency third quarterback. Since returning from injured reserve earlier this season, Howard has remained in that spot behind Mason Rudolph and Aaron Rodgers.

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Cornerback Tre Flowers was elevated off the practice squad but is inactive. The Steelers did the same thing last year when wide receivers Scotty Miller and Jamal Agnew.

Flowers played in one game for the Steelers this year before being released and re-signed to the practice squad.

Lastly, the have made outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon and interior defensive lineman Logan Lee inactive. Moon was signed off the Panthers practice squad once T.J. Watt was injured. Lee had been active over the last few weeks when the Steelers faced run heavy teams.



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Connecticut

Wells Fargo workers at Connecticut branch reject union

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Wells Fargo workers at Connecticut branch reject union


  • Key insight: The failed effort to unionize a Wells Fargo branch in Wallingford, Connecticut, comes one month after six workers at the branch listed their grievances in a letter to CEO Charlie Scharf.
  • Supporting data: Union organizers have notched wins in elections at 28 Wells Fargo branches nationwide. Following the Connecticut vote, the bank has beaten back unionization pushes at three branches.
  • Forward look: Bargaining talks are under way at 21 Wells Fargo branches, with negotiations at a 22nd branch scheduled to begin next month.

Wells Fargo employees at a branch in Connecticut have voted against forming a union — a win for the megabank amid a slew of branch-level elections that have gone in favor of union organizers.

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In December, six workers at Wells Fargo’s North Colony branch in Wallingford, Connecticut, sent a letter to CEO Charlie Scharf, informing him of the timing of the election, and expressing concern over what they characterized as understaffing and a lack of compensation.

But when the vote was held on Jan. 7, the tally was 6-2 against unionization, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

“We’re pleased with the outcome of the election,” a Wells spokesperson said in an email. “We believe that the decision by employees at our North Colony branch reflects their trust in our continued commitment to fostering a workplace where employees feel supported and valued.”

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Union organizers provided a statement from Max Saldanha, an associate personal banker at Wells Fargo who worked to organize the North Colony branch.

“While the results are disappointing, it is without a doubt that Wells Fargo workers are continuing to organize for a better workplace at one of the nation’s largest banks,” Saldanha said in the written statement. “Alongside nearly 30 organized branches across the country representing over 160 workers, we will continue to fight for better pay, better benefits, and a culture of dignity and respect.”

The Connecticut election is the third instance of Wells Fargo branch workers voting against unionization. The two previous “no” votes happened at branches in Belleview, Florida, and Atwater, California. Union organizers subsequently filed an unfair labor practices charge in connection with the Atwater election.

Since late 2023, union organizers have notched victories in elections at 28 Wells Fargo branches nationwide, though a unionized branch in New Jersey was subsequently closed. The company has more than 4,000 branches altogether.

One nonbanch unit at the bank has also voted to unionize.

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So far, none of the bargaining units have reached a contract with Wells Fargo, and the process has been marked by acrimony.

Union officials have filed more than 35 unfair labor practice charges against the bank. The allegations of bad behavior, which Wells has denied, range from the surreptitious use of virtual meeting software to laying off employees who were involved in union organizing.

Wells has said that it respects the right of its employees to unionize, but believes they are best served by working directly with the company’s leadership.

Contract negotiations are now under way at 21 Wells branches, and the bank says talks at an additional location are scheduled to start next month. Wells said that its representatives have spent more than 90 days at the bargaining table to reach acceptable terms for its employees.

Both sides of the talks have focused much of their efforts on a branch in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which in December 2023 became the first Wells branch to vote in favor of a union. Union organizers have designated the Albuquerque bargaining unit as their national lead.

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The 90 days that the bank has spent at the bargaining table are spread across more than 20 branches, noted Nick Weiner, an organizer at the union-backed Committee for Better Banks, which is leading the unionization push at Wells Fargo.

“We regret that Wells Fargo continues to insist that we bargain each branch separately,” Weiner told American Banker, adding that the bank’s decentralized approach is dragging out the process.

“We are making progress, and our bargaining teams are energized to get to a first contract. And we think we can get there, but Wells Fargo isn’t making it easy, and that’s why we think bargaining a national contract makes the most sense,” Weiner said. “And that’s what the workers want.”

In response to the argument that Wells Fargo should bargain a national contract, Wells spokesperson Tim Wetzel noted that each of the more than two dozen unionized Wells branches was organized separately.

“So we’re just following NLRB process,” Wetzel said.

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