By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Newark officials commemorated the third anniversary Monday of the Grande Costa D’Avorio cargo ship fire that killed firefighters Augusto “Augie” Acabou, 45, and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr., 49, on July 5, 2023.
- Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda highlighted department reforms implemented since the incident, including new standard operating procedures, drone programs, Pak-Tracker deployment, and enhanced shipboard firefighting training.
- The Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board previously cited the Newark Fire Division for inadequate training and failure to deploy Pak-Tracker receivers that might have located the firefighters before their air supplies depleted.
- Families of Acabou and Brooks filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city, alleging failure to properly train and equip the firefighters.
- Firehouses have been dedicated to honor both fallen firefighters.
NEWARK, N.J. — Newark officials marked the third anniversary of a cargo ship fire that killed two firefighters by highlighting safety reforms and enhanced capabilities implemented since the July 5, 2023 incident aboard the Italian-flagged Grande Costa D’Avorio.
Firefighters Augusto “Augie” Acabou and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr. died fighting a fire aboard the freighter as it sat docked at Port Newark loaded with approximately 1,200 junked automobiles bound for West Africa.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda issued a joint statement acknowledging the ongoing impact of the deaths. “No amount of time will ever soothe the shock or undo the tragedy of July 5, 2023,” the statement read.
A Coast Guard investigation released in January cited multiple mistakes and failures contributing to the firefighters’ deaths. The report specifically noted that the Newark Fire Division failed to deploy Pak-Tracker receivers stored in vehicles of several battalion chiefs. Investigators stated the tracking devices might have pinpointed the missing firefighters’ locations inside the smoke-filled vessel before their breathing apparatus air supplies depleted.
The National Transportation Safety Board, in an April 2025 hearing, criticized the Newark Fire Division for failing to properly train firefighters in advance of port fire operations and for insufficient preparation during the nearly two years preceding the incident at the East Coast’s largest shipping port.
The families of Acabou, 45, and Brooks, 49, filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging the city failed to properly train and equip the firefighters for conditions aboard the vessel. The lawsuit also charged that the ship’s owners operated the freighter in a dangerous and unseaworthy manner.
Newark officials have disputed criticisms, contending that comprehensive reforms have been implemented since the incident. Officials stated the fire division established new standard operating procedures to enhance safety during shipboard fire operations.
The city and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey created a special dedicated unit staffed round-the-clock to respond to port emergencies. The unit was designed to improve response capabilities for maritime incidents.
In their statement, Baraka and Miranda highlighted specific improvements. The fire division developed a drone program to provide situational awareness at fire scenes. Pak-Trackers, originally intended but not deployed during the cargo ship incident, are now being deployed to assist in locating firefighters in distress.
Additional reforms include assignment of a dedicated special operations battalion chief serving as a safety officer; establishment of a rapid intervention team dedicated to firefighter rescue citywide; and implementation of firefighter survival and shipboard firefighting awareness training programs.
Officials stated that national attention and legislative reform efforts stemming from the incident have empowered firefighters throughout the country with upgraded training and equipment.
Both firefighters have been honored with Newark firehouses bearing their names. Acabou and Brooks have been memorialized as the statement concluded: “They will be dearly missed forever.”