City firefighter who died while fighting a fire in an apartment building in Brooklyn was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant Saturday as scores of mourners paid tribute to Rockaway's favorite prankster and shark enthusiast with an unrivaled zest for life.
A sea of bright blue uniforms lined Rockaway Beach Boulevard. outside Church of Saint Francis de Sales in Queens to honor Firefighter Patrick Brady, everyone's favorite “cap man” – a key fire department position he held with honor at Ladder Company 120 in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Theodore Parisien / New York Daily News; FDNY
Firefighter Patrick Brady, 42, was working on the roof of a six-story burning building on Kings Highway near 94th Street in East Flatbush late Saturday night when he went into cardiac arrest. (Theodore Parisien/New York Daily News; FDNY)
“There are a lot of Bradys in the Rockaways, but it's safe to say Pat was the pinnacle of Brady,” explained his cousin, FDNY firefighter Peter Brady, trying to convey how much the fallen firefighter meant to those in the packed church. “He had the unique ability to be the most popular and cool guy without any ego.”
Brady, 42, was working on the roof of a burning six-story building on Kings Highway near 94th Street in East Flatbush late Saturday night when he cardiac arrest occurred– said the officials.
Fellow FDNY firefighters and medics attempted life-saving measures before the 11-year FDNY veteran was transported to Brookdale University Hospital, where he died.
On Saturday, scores of first responders gathered in the Rockaways to honor Brady's life and sacrifice. Hundreds more people attended a wake for a fallen firefighter at Marine Park.
Known for the dozens of group chats he created, his love of the Discovery Channel's “Shark Week” and his annual Mustache Bash, which was scheduled for Saturday, Brady left an indelible mark on everyone he knew, according to friends and family.
“He had best friends in every age group, from 20 to 80,” Peter Brady said.
Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker, who announced at the funeral that Brady would be posthumously promoted to lieutenant, said the slain firefighter even encouraged him to take the unexpected action.
After learning that one of his friends was going to become Tucker's driver, Brady wrote to his friend: “I think we can get this Jewish fire commissioner to have Irish coffee with us in Margie? The commissioner was told that this was the restaurant at the Rockaway Hotel.
“I had my first Irish coffee in his honor this week, although I didn’t poke my nose into it like he used to do,” Tucker joked. “My deepest sadness comes from the knowledge that I did not have the opportunity to drink it with the King of the Rockaways.”
Mourners said firefighting was in Brady's blood. His brothers Jimmy and Brian are FDNY firefighters and several cousins and uncles also served in the department, officials said.
Brady grew up on Beach 129th Street in Belle Harbor, where friends said he shared a private joke with everyone he met. He joined the FDNY in July 2014 and was last assigned to Ladder 120 in Brownsville in 2022.
According to Lt. Kevin Healy, who was sworn into the FDNY with Brady and worked side by side in Brooklyn for many years, his pranks and fun-loving personality were legendary. An impressive wave of sideburns hung below the FDNY boss's nose in preparation for his friend's mustache.
“You knew it was going to be a good tour if Pat was working,” Healy recalled. “He was the kind of guy that everyone wanted to work with. No matter what happened (that day), we came back to the firehouse crying and laughing with Pat.”
Friends recall that Brady and his wife Kara married in a memorable April Fool's Day ceremony in 2023, when 300 guests thought they were celebrating his 40th birthday.
“We don't know if anyone can surpass Pat Brady's April Fool's Joke but it was definitely good!” The Rockaway Times posted a message on Facebook the day after the ceremony.
“Firefighter Patrick Brady gave his life protecting the city we all love. There is no greater sacrifice,” Mayor Adams said last Sunday. The mayor had a planned trip to Israel over the weekend and did not attend Brady's funeral.
Brady became the second FDNY employee to die in the line of duty in the past two weeks.
Paramedic Salih Abdur Rahman, 46, died Oct. 29 after finishing his shift at the FDNY Training Academy on Randalls Island. He joined the FDNY in 2002 when he was 23 and served there for half his life.
A total of 1,163 FDNY members have died in the line of duty, according to officials.
