Jan. 16, 2023 A firefighter medic accused a Wantagh fire chief and captain of rape after a birthday party at a fire station in January 2022.
Source Firehouse.com News
Two Wantagh fire officers—a captain and a chief—are accused of raping a firefighter medic at a fire station last year.
According to paperwork, in January 2022, the plaintiff was invited to the captain’s birthday party at a fire station where the chief and captain suggested she have alcoholic drinks.
The two commented that she was the captain’s “birthday present,” according to a report by News12.com.
The alleged rape occurred after party guests left the fire station and it was just the three of them.
“These were not only her colleagues, but her superiors,” the victim’s attorney, Vess Mitev, told the television station. “I think as many of us knew and try to play it off in the public atmosphere because you don’t want to embarrass yourself and you don’t want to embarrass the person that’s making those comments as well. So, it’s not that she had no idea. It’s that no one had any idea what this night was about to turn into.”
The chief texted the plaintiff the next day, asking her to keep quiet.
Within days, she ended her membership with the Long Island fire department.
“The event was truly horrific for her to the point where obviously she had to stop doing one of the two things that she loved the most, which was working in the firehouse and helping people,” Mitev said.
According to initial paperwork from the department, the words “rape” or “sexual assault” did not appear for two months mid-March 2022.
The chief and the captain, who refused to take part in the investigation, are no longer with the department so they do not face any departmental charges.
The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office did not confirm to the television station if they were looking at criminal charges.