N.Y.C. Firefighter Who Found Brother's Body in Ground Zero Rubble Dies of Cancer Linked to 9/11
The FDNY is mourning the loss of Daniel “Danny” Foley, a beloved firefighter who stepped up as a first responder during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Foley, who joined the FDNY in 1998 and served for Rescue Co. 3 in the Bronx, died on Saturday at the age of 46 after suffering from 9/11-related pancreatic cancer, according to his obituary.
The Uniformed Firefighters Association in New York City expressed their heartbreak over the news in a message on Twitter.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the friends and family of retired Firefighter Daniel Foley,” the UFA NYC Firefighters wrote. “Another hero we lost due to post 9/11 related illness. This is becoming a living nightmare for all of us. #343andCounting”
The FDNY lost 343 members during the attacks, and more than 215 firefighters have reportedly died of 9/11-related illnesses in the 19 years since.
The news of Foley’s death was also confirmed in a press conference delivered by Lieutenant Mickey Conboy of Rescue 3, who explained that Foley came to their company after his brother Tommy Foley, 32, was killed on Sept. 11.
In the days following the attacks on the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, Conboy said Foley persistently searched through the Ground Zero rubble until he could find his late brother’s body.
“He watched his brother respond to 9/11 and not come back, but Danny’s dedication to the department came down to the World Trade Center,” Conboy said. “[He] worked day in and day out looking for his brother and all the people that were killed there that day.”
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“On the first night, Danny promised his mother and father he wouldn’t come home until he bought his brother home with him,” Conboy continued. “On the 11th day, Danny miraculously found his brother Tommy in the rubble at the World Trade Center.”
“Danny could’ve stopped working right there, not being assigned to Rescue 3,” Conboy added. “But Danny came back each day… to find all the Americans that were killed that day, and he didn’t stop until we all were done on that last day in May 2002.”
Over the past 17 years serving for Rescue 3, Conboy said Foley received three department medals for rescues he had made, earning the respect of his colleagues along the way for his commendable “dedication to the job.”
“Danny was the man that lit up the room when he came in,” Conboy said, adding that the fireman was “a friend to even a stranger.”
During his lifetime, Foley also helped fight for better health benefits for first responders suffering from 9/11-related medical needs not covered by insurance, according to CBS News.
His death comes seven months after President Donald Trump signed into a law a hard-fought-for bill that extended funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund for another seven decades.
The bill provides money for the VCF, which helps financially support 9/11 responders, survivors, and their families, through 2092, which became necessary after many developed various diseases due to their exposure to carcinogens such as jet fuel, mercury and asbestos.
The fund had previously said it was running out of money more quickly than planned, given escalating claims from 9/11 victims.
Conboy said Foley is the first firefighter from Rescue 3 to die from 9/11-related illnesses, though eight members were killed during the attacks.
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The late firefighter was praised for the impact he left behind, both on his colleagues and his family, which included his wife Carrie and their five children, ranging from ages 17 to 6.
“Danny Foley was the epitome of a great fireman. He is going to be missed each and every day in this firehouse and throughout the department,” Conboy said. “Danny has left an indelible mark on all of us, but Danny’s mark didn’t stop here in the firehouse or at work.”
“Danny was first and foremost a great fireman, but he was a great man before that, and a great father and a great husband,” he continued. “As you can imagine, [the kids] are crushed by the loss of their father, he was everything to them.”
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Services for Foley will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3-8pm ET at the Westchester Funeral Home Inc. in Eastchester. A funeral is scheduled for Thursday morning at 10:30am ET at Holy Family Church in New Rochelle.
In lieu of flowers, the Foley family is asking loved ones to donate to Gilda’s Club White Plains, www.gildasclubwestchester.org, who helped provide care for his 5 children; or to the FF Thomas J. Foley Foundation, to continue the education of the events relating to 9/11, including those affected currently and in the future.
