14 APRIL 27, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM TRAGEDY IN RIDGEWOOD Emotional night in Glendale as community mourns fi refi ghter BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GIUDICEREPORT A somber silence fell over Glendale on the night of April 21 as members of Ladder Company 135 ascended in a bucket lift to hang the purple and black bunting over the doorway of the Myrtle Avenue fi rehouse. Before the ceremony, a memorial was quickly set up as news of Tolley’s fatal fall spread. Fellow firefighters and local residents placed flowers, candles, and notes of condolence outside the fire station. One 4-year-old girl came with her mother to express their sorrow. Suehailey Rotha-Santiago was on her way to preschool on the morning of April 21, when her mother brought her to the fi rehouse with a bouquet of fl owers. Rotha-Santiago’s pre-K class recently visited Ladder Company 135 — lovingly known as the Myrtle Turtles — on a school trip, where they learned what the fi refi ghters do. H u n - dreds of Glendale residents and others turned out in the evening of April 21 for the bunting ceremony outside the headquarters of Engine Company 286/Ladder Company 135 to show their support for the extended family of William Tolley, who took a tragic fall on April 20 while battling a fi re at a Ridgewood apartment building. “The bunting that was just put up is a sign that this fi rehouse, and the whole Fire Department, is in mourning as of this day,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. Holding back tears and through cracking voices, firefighters from Tolley’s company remembered him as a man who was completely dedicated to his work, but as someone who knew how to have fun, too, highlight ing his time as a drummer for a metal band. Captain Rich Blasi of Ladder 135 was grateful for the 14 years Tolley spent with the “Myrtle Turtles,” calling him a “go-getter,” and for teaching new recruits the proper way to do their job and mentoring them. New York’s Bravest also thanked the community for their support during this time of mourning. Community leaders such as Vincent Arcuri and Ted Renz were on hand for the bunting ceremony, as well as local members of the 104th Precinct and elected offi cials Congresswoman Grace Meng and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley — who chairs the Council’s Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services, which oversees the Fire Department. Tolley’s older brother, Robert, thanked his brother’s fellow fi refi ghters for being there. “I am the older brother of my baby brother, Firefighter William Tolley, who gave his life yesterday doing what he loved to do, serving the community, working with his brothers — the amazing men standing behind me today,” the elder Tolley said. “They were there with him in his fi nal moments because I could not be, and I’ll always be grateful for that.” s ut ing or the remony headquargine rCompany135 to show m m C wa y th Turtles ” calling him a Photos by Robert Stridiron Firefifi ghters watch as memorial bunting is hung on the headquarters of Engine Company 286/Ladder 135 in Glendale on April 21. Firefifi ghter William Tolley's grief-stricken wife Marie and daughter Bella. Firefifi ghter William Tolley's grief-stricken wife Marie and daughter Bella.
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