Firefighter Receives Outstanding New Advisor Award

The Bravest from Engine 254 could have been called the Finest on February 21 when they chased and captured a man breaking into a vehicle in Brooklyn.

At 9:49 p.m. a woman began banging on the firehouse’s apparatus door yelling, “I’ve been robbed.”

Captain Michael Mandala said he was in the office on the second floor of the firehouse and looked out the window to see what was happening. He saw a man running quickly down the block.

He slid down the pole and started chasing the man along with Firefighters Steven Scarpitta and Leonard Romano.

After running for a quarter mile, they were able to catch the man and subdue him until police arrived.

The man was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of marijuana and petty larceny.

“He had a good head start and it took all three of us to subdue him,” said Capt. Mandala. “People are always coming to the Fire Department for help and I can’t imagine not doing something.”

Capt. Mandala is a 16-year veteran, Firefighter Scarpitta has been a firefighter for four years and Firefighter Romano has three years on the job.