Sliwa marks anniversary of horrific subway arson death by illegal immigrant, asks MTA to erect statue of victim

Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa marked the first anniversary of the stomach-turning arson killing of a homeless woman allegedly torched by an illegal immigrant — and called for a statue of the victim to be erected on the subway platform where she died.

Sliwa and others from the Big Apple vigilante group converged Monday on the same F train subway station on Coney Island where Debrina Kawam was torched on Dec. 22, 2024 — allegedly by Guatemalan immigrant Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, who sources said even fanned the flames with his jacket.

“Every person is entitled to have a legacy, no matter who they are,” the former Republican mayoral candidate told reporters. “And she has a very interesting story, although she never had a chance to tell it to anybody because of her untimely death.

“Doesn’t seem like anybody else cares,” he said. “I think the next thing we have to try to do is convince the MTA that there should be a statue right here. It sort of honors all the homeless and emotionally disturbed person who make their homes the subway cars, the subway platforms, the subway stations.”

The caught-on-video arson attack was one of the city’s most shocking and disturbing subway slaughters — made all the more horrific by the number of straphangers who failed to come to Kawam’s aid.

Surveillance and mobile phone footage show the killer watching Kawam burn, then sitting casually on a subway bench as first responders arrived at the scene.

Zapeta-Calil later told cops he was so wasted on booze he couldn’t remember, according to sources.

Zawam grew up in a good family in Tom’s River, New Jersey, and went on to college and a job in Atlantic City before mental illness and bad fortune shattered her life, leaving her homeless and relying on subway tunnels and trains for warmth during the cold winter months.

She shunned the violence of city homeless shelters, according to Sliwa.

Fellow Guardian Angel Amaldo Salina, who co-founded the group, said the victim’s violent death needed to be a wake-up call for New Yorkers and officials alike.

“Society has to stand up for each other,” he said. “We can’t count on government. We can’t count on the police trying to help us. We have to be that positive change. That’s what the Guardian Angels is all about.”

Zapeta-Calil is facing arson and murder charges in the senseless attack and is being held without bail pending a return court appearance on Jan. 21.