Deputy Commissioner Christine R. Godek Medal

Fire Marshal John J. Holohan
BFI, Queens Command

March 2, 2001, 0046 hours
Box 5729
104-78 112th Street, Queens

Appointed to the FDNY on March 25, 1990. Previously assigned to Engine 75 and Citywide Confidential Investigations Unit. Member of the Fire Marshals Benevolent Association and Emerald Society. Cited for bravery on six previous occasions, including the Firefighter Thomas R. Elsasser Memorial Medal. Holds a BA degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Buffalo and an AA degree in Legal Studies/Communications from Orange County Community College. Resides on Long Island with his wife, Bozena, and their children, Tiffany, 9, Christopher, 6, and Connor, 9 months.

A light snow--which would figure in the case later--was falling as Fire Marshal John J. Holohan sped out of the Bureau of Fire Investigation’s Queens Command at Fort Totten, just after 0125 hours on March 2, 2001. He and his partner, Fire Marshal Michael Smith (now retired), were responding to a 10-41-1 signal (Fire Marshals respond, suspicious fire) from Battalion 51’s Chief Michael Borst, to investigate a Molotov cocktail attack on a private home in Ozone Park, Queens.

This was the beginning of an adventure that involved FMs Holohan and Smith in an investigation of a series of fire bombings--actual and attempted--and the arrest of five men on arson-related charges. One would be convicted of first-degree arson, an A-1 felony, the most serious charge. Three others would plead guilty. A fifth awaits trial at this writing. The intense and complicated investigation involved not only the Queens Fire Marshal Command, but also required the expertise and skills of BFI’s Queens and Citywide Special Investigations Units.

Arriving at a typical Queens family residence--21/2-story frame, 25 by 40 feet, at 104-78 112th Street--the Marshals found the Molotov cocktail had been thrown at a front window, causing fire damage to the building exterior. The incendiary device they recovered consisted of a 12-ounce Budweiser beer bottle, stuffed with a striped and checkered blue-green-and-white cloth, with gasoline used as the accelerant. They also secured as possible evidence the videotape of a surveillance system, which had recorded the event. The Rocky Nath family had installed the system after previous vandalism incidents.

FMs Holohan and Smith interview a suspect. photo by FDNY Photo Unit

A few minutes after the first incident, a second fire-bombing occurred a few blocks away, at 107-67 111th Street. A Molotov cocktail had been thrown at the occupied private home of a woman named Azeema Ali and her family of more than eight people, including several small children. FM Holohan went to the second site with another responding Marshal, Kevin Lenahan, while FM Smith continued to investigate the incident at the Nath home.

FMs Holohan and Lenahan found that although the second Molotov had broken the window at the Ali home, it did not ignite. They recovered the device for evidence and continued their “physical” exam of the premises. But their interviews of the frightened residents led them to believe that although the two incidents were related, the Ali home on 111th Street was not the intended target of the fire bombers.

Supervising FM Cecil P. Maloney (now retired) of the Queens Command, now aware of two fire-bombings that early morning, dispatched BFI’s elite Citywide Special Investigations Unit (CSIU) to aid the Marshals at the two crime scenes and maintain a continued presence to gather more information.

Four days later (March 6), one other fire bombing and one attempt were made at the same two locations, fortunately without injury. A second, unexploded Molotov was found in the snow by FM Smith. Then, on March 9, Isaac Mann, being questioned about robberies by detectives in the Astoria, Queens, 114th Precinct, implicated himself in the fire bombings and the Marshals were called in.

FMs Holohan and Smith, aided by fellow Marshals, eventually obtained confessions from Mann and the others in the plot--Keishna Singh, Indar Pittam and Simeon Seecharan, all of whom were charged with felony arson and related charges. A fifth, Davendra Persaud, awaits trial on similar charges.

According to FM Holohan’s superiors, Chief Fire Marshal Louis F. Garcia, Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Richard F. McCahey and SFM Cecil P. Maloney, “FM Holohan demonstrated, during the investigation, a high degree of intelligence. He also showed successful interviewing techniques. He persisted along the trail each witness provided and persevered until five defendants had been arrested.” In short, FM Holohan’s deft handling of the complicated and lengthy case, resulting in the apprehension of dangerous arsonists, is in the finest traditions of FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Investigation and reinforces its motto: Veritas ex Cineribus, Latin for Truth from the Ashes.

FM John J. Holohan typically gave much of the credit to his partner, FM Michael R. Smith and fellow Marshals of the various BFI units who also successfully worked the case. Today, FDNY proudly presents him with the Deputy Commissioner Christine R. Godek Medal. —JM