New York City

FDNY Releases Findings in Case of NYC Firefighter Who Plunged 5 Stories to His Death in 2017

A 14-year FDNY veteran, Billy Tolley died battling a Queens apartment building fire in April 2017

What to Know

  • Billy Tolley, a 14-year FDNY veteran, plunged five stories to his death while battling a Queens apartment building blaze in April 2017
  • The fire department's Safety Investigation Team released its undated findings this month, blaming problems with a fire truck bucket
  • For reasons investigators couldn't determine, the basket lurched, and the door unlatched, throwing the firefighter to the ground

Investigators have found that problems with a fire truck basket apparently led to a veteran New York City firefighter's deadly fall as he battled a Queens apartment building blaze in April 2017.

The fire department's Safety Investigation Team released its undated findings this month in the death of 42-year-old Billy Tolley, who plunged five stories.

Investigators found Tolley was having trouble steering a fire truck basket and asked another firefighter to raise it. They say he wasn't harnessed to the basket, and that he may have removed it to check for the cause of the steering problem.

For reasons investigators couldn't determine, the basket lurched, and the door unlatched. Tolley was thrown to the ground.

Investigators say Tolley and the other firefighter followed the department's standard operating procedures.

A 14-year-old FDNY veteran, Tolley left behind a wife, Marie, and a then-8-year-old daughter, Bella, who wore her father's badge at his wake. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us