What you should know
- Firefighter Jesse B. Gerhard, 33, died Wednesday after responding to a two-alarm fire in Queens on Tuesday.
- Gerhard suddenly collapsed Wednesday night at his firehouse, Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said at a news conference Thursday morning, and died at a local hospital.
- Despite earlier reports that he had suffered a heart attack, Kavanagh said the cause of death remains unclear.
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NEW YORK — A young FDNY firefighter died suddenly after battling a fire earlier this week.
Firefighter Jesse B. Gerhard, 33, died Wednesday after responding to a two-alarm fire in Queens on Tuesday, Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.
Gerhard suddenly collapsed Wednesday night at his fire station, Kavanagh said at a news conference Thursday morning, and died at a local hospital. Despite earlier reports that he had suffered a heart attack, Kavanagh said the cause of death remains unclear.
Gerhard, a former EMT, was assigned to Ladder 134 in Far Rockaway. He was first appointed a probationary firefighter in December 2017.
Gerhard becomes the 1,156th FDNY member to die in the line of duty.
Early Thursday morning, cameras caught a procession of police and firefighters traveling through Manhattan toward the city’s morgue.
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