Woman burned alive in New York City subway train is identified

NEW YORK — The homeless woman torched to death at a Brooklyn subway stop has been identified as a 57-year-old woman from New Jersey, officials said Tuesday.

Debrina Kawam of Toms River, New Jersey, was set on fire as she slept in an F train stopped at the end of the line at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station about 7:30 a.m. Dec. 22. The homicide shocked the city and nation and set off a race to identify the body burned beyond recognition.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was caught on camera sitting on a bench at the platform, watching his handiwork, before he fled the scene, according to cops.

Kawam’s body was so badly burned that investigators could not initially raise her fingerprints. They eventually managed to do so and that led to being able to identify her and notify next of kin, police sources said.

—New York Daily News

Boy struck by drone at Orlando show leaves hospital, mother says

ORLANDO, Fla. — The 7-year-old hit by a drone at Lake Eola’s Holiday Drone show on Dec. 21 was released from the hospital, his mother told WFTV.

The boy, Alezander, underwent emergency heart surgery last week after a drone fell from the sky and rocketed into the crowd of roughly 25,000, hitting him in the chest, his mother said in a previous post on his GoFundMe page. Now Adriana Edgerton said her son is recovering at home following his release from the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children on Monday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Alezander’s GoFundMe has raised over $34,700.

The incident involving numerous drones falling from the sky during Orlando’s third annual Holiday Drone Show has sparked safety concerns across the country, and a pair of federal probes are underway.

—Orlando Sentinel

US military hits Houthi targets in Yemen after attacks on Israel

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military on Tuesday said it hit targets in Yemen targeting the Houthi militia, hours after the Iran-backed group launched attacks on Israel.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said its warships and aircraft attacked a number of Houthi-linked sites, including a command center and facilities used for the production and storage of weapons.

The buildings reportedly held missiles and drones used in Houthi attacks on the U.S. Navy and international merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

A radar facility and several of the militia's cruise missiles were also destroyed in the attacks on Monday and Tuesday, CENTCOM said.

The Houthi-affiliated television station al-Masirah reported at least 10 attacks by the U.S. and Britain in Yemen.

—dpa

SpaceX launch puts Space Coast tally at 93 for 2024

ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX put the final countdown in the books for the Space Coast early Tuesday, adding one more to the record pace of launches for the year.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink satellites lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 12:39 a.m.

The first-stage booster flew for the 16th time, having previously flown the Crew-6 mission among its 15 other flights. It made a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic.

It marked the 93rd orbital launch from either KSC or neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with all but five coming from SpaceX.

The pace of launches blew by 2023’s total of 72 back in October but fell short of the forecast of as many as 111 predicted in January.

—Orlando Sentinel

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