Soldier Believed To Have Been Killed In Iranian Attack Is From NYC: Authorities

NEW YORK — A soldier from Queens is believed to have been killed in an attack on Friday on an air base in Jordan, federal authorities announced Tuesday.

Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, is thought to have been killed in action during the attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, according to the U.S. Department of War, which added that the incident is under investigation.

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U.S. Central Command previously announced Rampersad was missing, but her status was later updated to duty status – whereabouts unknown and she is believed to be dead, authorities said.

“Tonight, our city mourns the presumed loss of Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad, an Ozone Park resident who died this past weekend in Jordan serving her country,” New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and member Joann Ariola, of District 32, said in a joint statement Tuesday night on social media.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends as they grieve the loss of their beloved. As this conflict continues in the Middle East, we pray that all our service members remain safe and return home to their families.”

The confirmation brings the death toll to 18 U.S. service members killed since the war began.

Details Of The Attack

On Monday, the Pentagon identified 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, as the two other soldiers who were killed in Jordan in Friday’s attacks. The soldiers were killed by Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in the first troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war. They were deployed to support a U.S. mission against the Islamic State group, a U.S. Central Command statement said.

After the attack, U.S. Central Command announced that two servicemembers were killed and another was missing. The following day, the military command said that troops found unidentified remains and that an examination process to verify the remains was underway.

Rampersad belonged to the same unit as Gonzales — the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command based in Ansbach, Germany.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.