Firefighter steals credit cards from dead man — then goes shopping, NY official says
A firefighter responded to a 911 call involving a man who died at his New York City apartment and stole his credit cards, an official said.
Sylus McKenzie, 33, of the Bronx, went shopping with the man’s American Express card and Mastercard for two hours the next morning on Jan. 12, 2021, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
The New York City Fire Department firefighter tried charging $1,123 worth of items to the cards at stores in the Bronx, including Target, where he paid a visit to buy Apple AirPods, officials said in a June 20 news release.
McKenzie was indicted on two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, second-degree attempted identity theft, third-degree identity theft, and second-degree criminal impersonation and official misconduct, officials announced.
McClatchy News left a message seeking comment with McKenzie’s defense attorney, Robert Gallo, on June 22 and didn’t receive an immediate response.
“This City firefighter, as alleged, was entrusted to provide emergency medical attention to New Yorkers in need,” New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said in a statement. “Instead, he used his position to steal the identity and credit cards of an individual he was called upon to help.”
McKenzie has worked as a FDNY firefighter for about four years, according to the release. As of June 16, he was suspended from his job for 28 days, FDNY spokeswoman Amanda Farinacci told McClatchy News in a statement on June 22.
On the evening of Jan. 11, 2021, first responders, including McKenzie, were called to a report of an unresponsive man at his Manhattan apartment, officials said. The man was declared dead, though it wasn’t specified how he died.
Other first responders noticed the man’s credit cards vanished from the apartment sometime after McKenzie left, according to the district attorney’s office.
An investigation revealed McKenzie had the cards and bought, or tried buying, items from a Sunoco gas station, supermarket and Target, officials said.
After appearing in court for an arraignment on June 15, he will make another court appearance on Sept. 7, according to the release.
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