Photo Courtesy of NYPD
Police Officers Nicholas Cupolo, Frank Sarro, and Terryann Ferguson.
By Forum Staff
The City Police Department on Friday praised the heroic actions of four 106th Precinct officers who rescued a man and helped other residents safely escape a burning Ozone Park building last month.
According to police reports, on Thursday, Nov. 23, around 9:30 p.m., Neighborhood Coordination Officers John Fox and Frank Sarro (Sector C – Northern Ozone Park) were on patrol when they noticed heavy smoke along Liberty Avenue. As the cops stopped their vehicle to investigate the situation, they were met by Officers Nicholas Cupolo and his partner Terryann Ferguson, who had also stopped after noticing the plumes.
They quickly determined that a residential building on Liberty Avenue near 131st Street was on fire.
After radioing dispatch to notify the Fire Department, the four officers entered the building to help evacuate it. According to the NYPD, Sarro and Cupolo stayed as low to the floor as possible, crawling under the smoke to alert residents. They banged on a second-floor apartment door and encountered a 31-year-old man who had been unaware of the blaze. The officers escorted the man from the building; he was later treated at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center for smoke inhalation.
“There was a lot of smoke, and we saw the fire inside the apartment,” Fox recalled. “I’m glad that we were able to get the man out in time.”
According to department officials, after helping other people to safety, the four officers then went to a banquet next door and notified a group attending a party of the fast-spreading fire.
“These officers demonstrated courage in an extreme environment,” added Capt. Brian Bohannon, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct.
