FDNY firefighter Patrick D. Brady dies battling blaze in Brownsville, Brooklyn, authorities say
Firefighters hang purple and black bunting on the exterior of FDNY Ladder 120 headquarters on Watkins Street in Brooklyn on Sunday, mourning the death of fellow firefighter Patrick Brady. Credit: John Roca
An FDNY firefighter died after having a medical episode and going into cardiac arrest while working on the roof of a building ablaze Saturday night in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood.
The firefighter, 42-year-old Patrick D. Brady, of Belle Harbor, Queens, had been on the job for 11 years, the FDNY said in a news release.
At the time of the medical episode, Brady was among the firefighters working to extinguish a fire at 9407 Kings Hwy., which, according to StreetEasy, is a six-story rental apartment building with 96 units. Fellow firefighters and medics treated him at the scene and then rushed him to Brookdale hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the release said.
"He gave his life protecting the city we all love; there is no sacrifice that is more selfless than the actions that took place this evening," Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference at the hospital.
Firefighter Patrick Brady, 42, died while battling a blaze in Brooklyn Saturday. Credit: FDNY
Brady was appointed to the FDNY on July 14, 2014. After graduating from the Fire Academy, he was assigned to Engine 227 in Brooklyn before transferring to Ladder 120 in 2022, the fire department said. He is survived by his wife, Kara, and his two brothers, Jimmy and Brian, who are FDNY firefighters. His cousins and uncles are also FDNY firefighters, the department said.
On her Facebook page, Kara Brady posted the FDNY emblem with a purple and black ribbon across it to match the bunting that hung outside her husband's firehouse.
Messages of support poured in from friends and family.
"Pat always has a smile and is so kind. This world is much worse without him," one commenter wrote on the page.
The couple married on April Fools' Day 2023 at the Rockaway Hotel, according to an April 2023 story in the Rockaway Wave. Patrick Brady, whom the paper described as "one of Rockaway’s best bartenders," had invited 300 guests for what they thought was his 40th birthday party.
"Shortly after the guests arrived for the birthday bash, Pat and his lady, Kara Yankay, disappeared for a quick outfit change and dropped a major surprise on the guests. This wasn’t just a birthday party — it was their wedding!" according to the story. "The happy couple were married at the Hotel and danced the night away with their friends and family."
The FDNY press office, which declined to answer questions regarding the suspected cause and specifics of the medical episode, told Newsday that the fire marshal is investigating.
Brady is the 1,163rd in the FDNY to die in the line of duty, according to the FDNY.
He is the second FDNY member to die in the line of duty in the last two weeks. Paramedic Salih Abdur Rahman, 46, died after finishing his shift at the FDNY Fire Academy on Randalls Island.
Newsday's Janon Fisher contributed to this story.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
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