Westwood firefighter dies week after responding to Upper Saddle River blaze
A Westwood volunteer firefighter died Monday, a week after he responded to a heavy house fire, the Westwood Volunteer Fire Department stated.
Kevin May, 29, responded to a five-alarm fire at an upscale Upper Saddle River home on Oct. 16. The next morning, May woke up with chest pains and difficulty breathing, the department said. May then received a stent at a local hospital and was released under a doctor's care on Oct. 20. On Monday, he was found unresponsive in his home.
"Kevin has left a hole that will be extremely hard to fill," a department spokesperson said.
It's unclear if his response to the fire directly caused his heart problems.
May was an 11-year fire department veteran, according to his online obituary. He dressed as Santa Claus in the department's annual Santa Run and was a former department vice president.
May worked at FedEx at the time of his death, the obituary said. He was a passionate Mets, Giants, Rangers and NASCAR fan, and would watch games in the Westwood firehouse. He graduated from River Dell High School in 2011.
May is survived by his parents, grandmother and two brothers.
Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco, also a firefighter, posted his condolences on Facebook.
"As a longtime member of the fire service, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the May family and Westwood Fire Department," he wrote.
The Upper Saddle River fire completely destroyed the Hillside Avenue house. No one was home at the time of the blaze.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Westwood NJ firefighter dies week after Upper Saddle River fire
