America knows her as the woman set on fire by a migrant on the subway. She was my best friend

America knows Debrina Kawam arsenic the homeless woman who was burned live on the New York City subway by an amerciable migrant, a horrific act caught successful footage that shocked the country. 

But to New Jersey native Mark Monteyne, who went to precocious schoolhouse with Kawam earlier her beingness took a acheronian turn, she was a beloved cheerleader, pancake location waitress and the 'life of the party. 

'I person blessed precocious schoolhouse memories with her,' Monteyne, who is based successful Totowa, New Jersey, told the DailyMail.com. 

'She was vibrant, she was ever energized, and fundamentally she was the cheerleader and I was the shot player. She was the beingness of the party, she was the beingness of the day.'

The 57-year-old borough recreation manager remembered Kawam arsenic their 'vibrant' Passaic Valley High School cheerleader who delighted customers with her charisma and charm portion moving portion clip astatine Perkins Pancake House. 

Monteyne shared photographs of Kawam with the DailyMail.com of her successful happier times, playfully striking a airs astatine a friend's house, and smiling successful the shadiness of a histrion connected a summer's time successful NJ. 

Monteyne, who appears beside Kawam successful their 1985 yearbook, said he's inactive processing the information that the Little Falls sweetheart helium knew and loved erstwhile they were teenagers is the pistillate now making headlines for the astir tragic of reasons. 

'She was successful my classes,' helium added. 'She would assistance maine successful chemistry class. She was talented astatine chemistry - she was a astute individual.'

'Everyone is successful daze now,' helium added of Kawam's tragic death. 'We had a nice, close-knit household successful 1985. It truly deed home.

'(In Totowa), we are lone 18 miles distant from the Big Apple. It's precise astonishing what's going connected and what's happening connected the subway. It's truly really sad.' 

Though helium inactive meets up with a adjacent ellipse of friends from Passaic High, Monteyne mislaid interaction with Kawam aft their schoolhouse day. He expressed regret that helium didn't cognize astir the acheronian crook her beingness had taken successful the years earlier her death. 

Kawam was homeless, $90,000 successful indebtedness and struggling with alcoholism erstwhile she was murdered astatine the property of 57. 

Monteyne's friend, who listed her 'secret ambition' connected her precocious schoolhouse yearbook illustration arsenic 'partying forever', had accumulated dozens of summonses for drinking and disorderly behaviour connected the Jersey Shore implicit the past decade. 

'I didn't cognize the communicative of her demons,' Monteyne told DailyMail.com. 'I deliberation if we lone knew astir her struggles, past possibly we could person tried to assistance her. As a community, and arsenic aged friends.' 

Monteyne added that helium blamed America's breached migration strategy for his friend's tragic death, allegedly astatine the hands of Guatemalan migrant Sebastian Zapeta-Calil.

The 33-year-old amerciable migrant is accused of burning Kawam live connected a subway bid successful Coney Island connected December 22. He has pleaded not guilty to the execution charges. 

Monteyne told the DailyMail.com that Kawam's decease was 'another example' of America's dire request for tighter power of the migration system. 

'We request borders. We request borderline control. This is different illustration of that,' helium said.

'We request beardown leadership. That is forthcoming, which is great, truthful I'm excited with that and I judge the elected president is going to beryllium beardown successful enforcing borderline power which is simply a large thing. I bash deliberation Trump volition deliver.'

Monteyne did not privation to talk astir existent politicians liable for borderline policies, the NYPD's effect to the tragedy, oregon Zapeta-Calil specifically. 'I conscionable anticipation that justness is served,' helium said. 

Prosecutors accidental Zapeta-Calil acceptable Kawam connected occurrence arsenic she slept connected a stopped bid successful Brooklyn's Coney Island presumption connected December 22. 

They allege that the fishy past fanned the flames with a garment earlier sitting connected level seat and watching arsenic she burned, arsenic caught connected the mobile telephone cameras of New Yorkers who were connected the level astatine the time. 

Law enforcement sources told The New York Post that Zapeta-Calil claimed helium was drunk and had nary recollection of the incident.

The footage of the moments aft Kawam was acceptable connected occurrence went viral arsenic it showed an NYPD serviceman walking past the blaze portion the fishy watched on.

NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a property league that officers who responded were not alert the fishy was connected the country astatine the time.

Hours later, the NYPD released images of the suspect, showing him watching his unfortunate burning to decease earlier helium casually walked distant from the scene.

Zapeta yet boarded the subway aboriginal successful the day, and helium was arrested aft helium was flagged by precocious schoolers who recognized him from the images.

ICE officials said Zapeta entered the US illegally from Guatemala successful 2018 and was deported, but re-entered the state astatine immoderate constituent after.

The incidental rapidly became portion of the nationalist statement implicit the melodramatic emergence successful crimes being committed by amerciable immigrants successful the United States.