The announcement came…
By Alex Ginsberg
In the wake of a dispute last week between police and firefighters at a Newtown Creek rescue operation, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the department would investigate allegations that officers endangered an FDNY diver’s life.
The announcement came as a war of words erupted between the two respective unions.
The incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on July 9 when both departments responded to a call of a man drowning in Newtown Creek, which separates Brooklyn and Queens. In the confusion, NYPD harbor unit officers dropped a heavy cable with grappling hooks into the water, knocking a Fire Department diver’s mask off and momentarily trapping him, fire officials said.
“The Harbor Unit at this operation displayed no cooperation or regard for anyone else’s safety and because of this placed an FDNY member’s life in danger,” Capt. Joseph Callan of Rescue Co. 4 wrote in a report to the department’s chief of operations.
Although the Police Department has priority to direct water rescue operations, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scopetta speaking at a news conference last Thursday defended the firefighters of Rescue 4.
“We were there first,” he said. “We were doing what we were supposed to do.”
Kelly promised an inquiry into the dispute last Thursday, appointing Chief of Patrol Nicholas Estavillo, the second highest-ranking uniformed member of the department, to lead the investigation, the FDNY said.
According to Callan’s report, an NYPD harbor unit arrived on scene shortly after the diver, William Murphy, had entered the water. Police officers began searching the water using a device called a layed line — a heavy cable with a grappling hook on each end — and ignored warnings from firefighters that Murphy was dangerously near.
“I’m not even close,” a police officer was reported to have said. “Shut the f___ up.”
Murphy swallowed a small amount of dirty Newtown Creek water after losing his face mask, the report said. The diver was also caught momentarily on the police line and required the assistance of another firefighter to free himself.
Police eventually recovered the body of 54-year-old Fredrick Darling, of 21-10 Borden Ave. in Long Island City, from the water.
Murphy was not seriously injured, but Stephen Cassidy, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said only luck had saved the diver’s life.
“If the grappling hook thrown in the direction of (Murphy) by a police officer was 4 inches to the right or left, it might have killed Firefighter Murphy instead of just ripping his face piece off and dragging him to the bottom of Newtown Creek,” said Cassidy in a written statement.
But a vice president with the police union shot back, saying Fire Department personnel “overreacted after the fact.”
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association First Vice President John Puglissi said in a statement “at no time during the entire rescue and recovery operation was a firefighter’s life endangered or interfered with by the actions of any member of the NYPD.”
Murphy’s colleagues at Rescue 4 in Woodside would not comment on the incident, except to say that Murphy had returned to work despite incident.
An unidentified firefighter scoffed at the idea that Murphy would take time off to recover, saying “we’re not like the police that way.”
The incident was the second Battle of the Badges involving Rescue 4 in as many weeks.
On June 27, Firefighter John Gaine was arrested following a dispute with an Emergency Service Unit police officer at an Italian restaurant in Jackson Heights. The two departments were called to the scene after a Jamaica man got stuck in the chimney of the restaurant while allegedly trying to rob it, police said.
Reach reporter Alex Ginsberg by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
