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Firefighter in ICU After Fight in Whitehall Ferry Terminal
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 8, 2009
Modified Sep 8, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 8, 2009
Modified Sep 8, 2009
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A firefighter is in critical condition after a violent altercation erupted inside the Whitehall Terminal on his way to Staten Island early Monday morning. Matthew Dugan, 34, who is assigned to Ladder 15 near the South Street Seaport, had to undergo emergency surgery to relieve swelling on the brain caused by the fight, which started around 1:30 a.m. as he entered the terminal with his girlfriend after drinking at a lower Manhattan bar. Witnesses tell police the fight started when three people laughed at Dugan's girlfriend after she tripped. One bystander tells the Post, "When they laughed, he told them to grow up. They said, ‘Shut the f—k up before we beat you up.’" The situation quickly escalated, and the assailants, described only as two men and one woman, began hitting him in the head and punching him in the face. Dugan, who was off-duty, didn't lose consciousness, but was bleeding heavily from his face and mouth when the ambulance arrived. One of his fellow firefighters tells the Daily News, "We're hoping he's going to be okay." And investigators are reviewing surveillance video showing suspects running from the terminal after the brawl.
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staten island ferry
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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