A NEW York firefighter and football player died in a horrifying motorcycle crash at the age of just 36 years old.
The late firefighter is leaving behind a family, including a one-year-old daughter.
New York firefighter Joseph M. Herman died on August 31 after a motorcycle crash on the Southern State Parkway[/caption]
The late 36-year-old leaves behind a one-year-old daughter[/caption]
Joseph M. Herman, who was a 36-year-old firefighter at Ladder Company 111 in Brooklyn, died on Sunday, August 31, after a crash on the Southern State Parkway.
He was thrown off his motorcycle while trying to switch lanes, state police revealed.
Herman, who also played for the FDNY’s football and lacrosse teams, was then hit by another motorcycle and later pronounced dead at a hospital.
He is survived by his wife, mother, stepfather, and daughter, Lacy Leigh Herman, who is almost 2 years old.
The FDNY Foundation has established the Joseph M. Herman Scholarship Fund to honor the late father.
Donations can be made to the organization’s website.
“Joey was kind and patient,” FDNY Capt. Alan Beach told Newsweek.
“He got along with kids just as well as adults.
“You know, my three kids called him the ‘funcle’ — he was the fun uncle.
“But make no mistake, Joey was all about being a fireman; he was all about 111 Truck, and when Joey had to be a killer or an assassin, he was.”
Herman’s father, NYPD Officer Jeff B. Herman, died days after being shot in June 1989 while responding to a call involving a violent dispute.
Herman was just three months old at the time.
Herman’s widow, Amanda, said her late husband had a “huge heart” full of passion, whether it was enjoying surfing, football, lacrosse, or being a family man.
“My daughter Lacy absolutely adores him and to say she was a daddy’s girl doesn’t do it justice,” she told Newsweek via text message.
“They were 2 peas in a pod.
“She may look like me, but her personality is all him.
“His two biggest loves were his daughter and the firehouse.”
Herman was a star wide receiver for The Bravest, the FDNY football team, which has had a rivalry with The Finest, the NYPD team, since 1973.
FDNY Lieutenant Gregory Rup, who attended Herman’s wake, said Herman had a “tremendous presence” at the firehouse but also on the football and lacrosse field.
“He took a lot of pride in being a great fireman and he expected that of the guys around him, too,” Rup said.
“Same thing with the way he guided himself on the football or lacrosse field.
“He just held himself and friends to a high standard and he carried that over to fatherhood.”
