The man was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon in Kearny, N.J., hours after a fire broke out in the building in which he was hiding. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Fires and Firefighters”
A Mysterious Fire, a Helpful Neighbor and a Murder Charge
By Gotham Rex on December 10, 2025
Virginia Cranwell, 82, died in a fire in her New Jersey home this summer. Her neighbor, who claimed he had tried to save her, now faces murder and arson charges. Source: New York Times
James Riches, Fire Chief Who Lost Firefighter Son on 9/11, Dies at 74
By Gotham Rex on November 30, 2025
He spent months searching the wreckage of the World Trade Center for his son’s remains, then suffered lung illnesses attributed to toxic dust. Source: New York Times
Firefighter, 42, Dies After Cardiac Arrest While Fighting Brooklyn Blaze
By Gotham Rex on November 9, 2025
Firefighters assembled in Brownsville to remember Patrick D. Brady, who died on Saturday. He was an 11-year veteran of the department. Source: New York Times
Construction Worker Dies in Fall at NYC Site for Hudson Tunnel Project
By Gotham Rex on October 23, 2025
The man, who was working at a site at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, fell 60 feet into a pit below, according to the New York Fire Department. Source: New York Times
Five-Alarm Fire on Brooklyn Waterfront Devastates Artists’ Warehouse
By Gotham Rex on September 20, 2025
A row of converted 19th-century buildings filled with artists in the 1990s and transformed Red Hook. Now the work of more than 500 artists may be lost. Source: New York Times
Suspect in Murder of Queens Couple Told Police That He Burned Them
By Gotham Rex on September 12, 2025
Jamel McGriff, who was arraigned late Thursday night, told the authorities that he had “molested” the septuagenarians before torching their home in the Bellerose neighborhood. Source: New York Times
Police Arrest Suspect in Death of Queens Couple in Burning House
By Gotham Rex on September 10, 2025
The arrested man is Jamel McGriff, 42. Investigators believe he killed a couple in their 70s, one of whom was found tied to a pole. Source: New York Times
Police Seek Man After Firefighters Find Dead Couple, One in Chains
By Gotham Rex on September 9, 2025
Rescuers who came to a burning house in Queens found a man, 76, bound in the basement and a woman, 77, dead on the first floor. Source: New York Times
Coast Guard Works to Keep Burning Ship From Capsizing at New Jersey Port
By Gotham Rex on July 7, 2023
As water is sprayed on a burning cargo ship in Port Newark, N.J., it must also be released to avoid sinking the vessel, which is carrying 1,200 cars. Source: New York Times
Fire Erupts at an NYPD Evidence Center in Brooklyn
By Gotham Rex on December 13, 2022
A three-alarm fire led to the collapse of a portion of a warehouse compound in Red Hook. Much of the evidence kept there may be destroyed, according to officials. Source: New York Times
The Scooter Battery Peril Worries the Fire Department
By Gotham Rex on December 1, 2022
Lithium-ion battery fires are surging in the city, but the use of the power packs is difficult to regulate, officials say. Source: New York Times
Lithium-Ion Batteries in E-Bikes and Other Devices Pose Fire Risks
By Gotham Rex on November 14, 2022
The batteries, also found in phones, laptops, toothbrushes and other items, have caused about 200 fires and six deaths in New York City this year, fire officials say. Here’s what to know about safety. Source: New York Times
On Veterans Day, Memories of Driving a Sherman Tank
By Gotham Rex on November 11, 2022
A Long Island man, now 99, was part of a tank crew that drove across France after D-Day. “War is hell,” he told his family. Source: New York Times
Laura Kavanagh, NYC’s First Woman Fire Commissioner, Takes Command
By Gotham Rex on November 8, 2022
Laura Kavanagh has never been a firefighter, but has deep experience with the department and the city. She oversees 17,370 people, and is the youngest leader in a century. Source: New York Times