Frankie Graziano / Connecticut Public
A New Haven firefighter who died while responding to a blaze last week was celebrated across Connecticut.
The remembrance of Ricardo Torres Jr. started with a funeral mass in New Haven. It included a brave testimonial from his pregnant wife Erica Martinez, who’s also left caring for their 11-month-old son.
“…Rick, I’m angry. I miss you. I don’t care about you being a hero or not,” Martinez said. “You’re supposed to go to work, do your job, and come home.”
Martinez was able to smile and laugh a few times during her eulogy, like when she remembered how her first date with Torres some six years ago ended.
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Thousands pay tribute to fallen New Haven firefighter
Pallbearers carry the casket of New Haven firefighter Ricardo Torres, Jr. into St. Mary s Church in New Haven, Conn., Thursday, May 20, 2021. Torres, who died battling a house blaze in New Haven, is being remembered and honored during funeral and burial services. (Arnold Gold/Hearst Connecticut Media/New Haven Register via AP)
New Haven Firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. Remembered Across Connecticut wshu.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wshu.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The procession will begin in New Haven and end at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford. Author: Rick Lessard (FOX61), Dave Puglisi Published: 8:44 PM EDT May 19, 2021 Updated: 10:42 PM EDT May 19, 2021
NEW HAVEN, Conn. Ricardo Torres Jr. will be laid to rest Thursday with a church procession that will begin in New Haven and then end in Hartford.
“We are hurting right now and it doesn’t get any better,” said New Haven Fire Department Union President Pat Cannon. “I just want to make sure that we can carry ourselves tomorrow to make sure that our brother goes out honorably and as a hero that he is.”
Lt. Samod Rankins was injured in a fire that killed firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. Author: Lucia Suarez Sang (FOX61), Keith McGilvery Published: 8:52 AM EDT May 20, 2021 Updated: 9:57 AM EDT May 20, 2021
NEW HAVEN, Conn. The New Haven firefighter injured in a house fire that killed a fellow firefighter is “improving,” the city’s mayor told FOX61 on Thursday.
Mayor Justin Elicker said Lt. Samod Rankins, who was injured in the May 12 fire is continuing to recover at the Bridgeport Hospital burn unit.
“He is still at the hospital and unfortunately cannot attend the funeral today,” he said. “But there will be Bridgeport and New Haven firefighters with him watching remotely the funeral to support him.”