Woman, 22, indicted on charges of arson, murder after fatal Dyker Heights fire
A 22-year-old Dyker Heights woman has been indicted for arson and murder in connection with a fatal fire last month that killed two tenants in the building where she lived.
According to the investigation, on November 9, Joanna Mei – who lived on the top floor of a three-story building at 11th Avenue and 67th Street – allegedly lit a candle and newspapers that were in a trash can in the first-floor staircase of her building, with police alleging that she flipped the can and left the building with the fire still burning.
The blaze spread quickly, killing Xi Huang, 58, and Feng Xu, 56, who lived in the building. It also injured several firefighters, a 31-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman and two children – a four-year-old girl and a three-month-old boy, all of whom were treated for smoke inhalation at Maimonides Medical Center.