Scaffold rescue turns into scuffle between firefighter, cop - By DONNA DE LA CRUZ - The Associated Press - 10/13/99 6:33 AM Eastern
NEW YORK (AP) -- A police lieutenant and a fire lieutenant got into a scuffle as their colleagues were pulling two construction workers to safety from a scaffold dangling 70 feet up on the side of a midtown Manhattan building, police and fire sources said.
The fire lieutenant left the building on a stretcher Tuesday, and was taken to Bellevue Hospital. He was treated and released hours later. The incident was being investigated by both departments. Neither department released the lieutenants' name, though reports identified them as Fire Department Lieut. Vito Emanuele and NYPD Lieut. Venton Hollifield.
According to police and fire sources, the two lieutenants began arguing as the construction workers were pulled to safety through an eighth floor window at 315 W. 57th St. The police lieutenant, who works in the emergency service unit, allegedly pushed the fire lieutenant so hard he fell into some furniture, injuring his back, the sources said.
It was not immediately known what the argument was about, though newspaper reports today said the argument may have been over which department had jurisdiction. Afterward, police and fire officials gathered at a nearby restaurant but would not say what they discussed. Police Commissioner Howard Safir said he was unaware of any fight.
"What I do know is that we jointly rescued some people and that's what is important," he said. "The important thing is that the people that we rescue don't particularly care if it's the fire department or police department that rescues them. All they care about is that they're rescued."
Fire department spokesman Michael Regan said "both departments will jointly review the operation at this morning's collapse." No charges have been filed.
Firefighters and police were called to the scene around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, when passersby noticed bricks showering down on the construction workers, who were working on the building's facade. Both men, employed by Mineola, N.Y.-based McFar Construction, fell off.
The workers were strapped into safety harnesses and were rescued within about 15 minutes, as firefighters secured rope lines in apartments on the eighth and ninth floors and pulled the men to safety. One worker, Nardeo Sami, was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital with a broken hand. The other man, Mukri Latchman, was not injured.