FDNY officials provide update on off-duty rescue in Brooklyn

May 6, 2024

An off-duty FDNY officer who assisted with a rescue following a fiery car crash over the weekend in Brooklyn detailed the events during a Public Information Briefing on Monday, May 6, 2024.

Lieutenant Richard Cannon, Ladder 148, his wife, and their children were traveling home from Staten Island early Saturday morning when two vehicles sped past and crashed. He helped pull a victim from one of the vehicles and remained on scene to assist as FDNY members arrived.

"I always talk about the job with my family," Lt. Cannon said. "It's everyday life, and it can happen at any time. I don't think any of us is ever off-duty. If something happens, we're all trained and supposed to react and do our job. … I would hope that any police officer, firefighter or EMT who saw that - even a civilian - would stop and do the same thing that I did."

The incident occurred near the Bay Parkway exit on the Belt Parkway.

An off-duty FDNY officer helped rescue a victim from a car crash over the weekend near the Bay Parkway exit on the Belt Parkway.