Phi Chi's Kevin Apuzzio killed fighting fire

UNION, NJ - Kevin Apuzzio loved life; he loved helping people and would go to great lengths to protect those he knew, and those he didn’t, and it was this sense of duty that led to his untimely death last week.

Bright sun glistened off the red firetrucks that lined the streets around St. Michael’s Church on Kelly Street on Tuesday morning as a sea of firefighters, police and emergency medical technicians gathered in Apuzzio’s hometown to bid farewell to the 21-year-old firefighter. A member of the East Franklin Volunteer Fire Company in Somerset County, the Rutgers University student was killed in the line of duty while trying to rescue a 75-year-old woman from her burning home on the morning of April 11.

“He was a fine young man. He died a hero, and we’re going to bury him as a hero,” said Martin Karlin, vice president and fund-raising chairman of the Union Emergency Medical Unit, where Apuzzio served as an emergency medical technician from the age of 16.

A hero’s farewell is exactly what took place Tuesday. Traffic was detoured around the area to clear the way for the fire apparatus, cars and tour buses filled with mourners that attended the 10:15 a.m. service.

Outside the church, two tower ladder trucks extended toward the sky, an American flag stretched between them in a patriotic tribute to Apuzzio, who was born in Elizabeth and attended St. Michael’s School in Union and later, Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains.

Union Fire Chief Frederic Fretz estimated that 5,000 people — including fire and rescue personnel from across the state — attended the funeral. Among the mourners was Gov. Jon Corzine, who remained at the church throughout the service. On April 13, Corzine signed an executive order declaring that flags throughout the state should be flown at half-staff Tuesday in honor of Apuzzio.

“Kevin Apuzzio’s selfless devotion to public service and the protection of others makes him a hero and a true role model for all New Jerseyans,” the executive order states.

As 10:15 a.m. approached, firefighters and emergency medical workers dressed in crisp, blue and black dress uniforms, standing several lines deep, formed rows along Kelly Street, while others converged on Vauxhall Road, and Orange and High streets.

Emergency workers stood at attention as an East Franklin fire truck bearing Apuzzio’s flag-draped casket arrived in front of the church. White-gloved firefighters, standing in mournful silence, saluted as the coffin was gently lowered and carried into the church for the funeral Mass. For the next hour, mourners, spilling out of the crowded sanctuary, stood quietly as the service continued, audible on occasion from a speaker system set up outside the church.

The service concluded as helicopters hovered over the area, while family, friends and fellow firefighters emerged. Apuzzio’s casket was returned to the fire truck that brought his body to Mount Olive Cemetery in Newark for a private burial.

Jason Scheller of Medford, who attended classes at Rutgers University with Apuzzio, said the huge turnout of people for the funeral was a show of respect for a young man who died too soon.

“I knew him pretty well,” Scheller said of Apuzzio. “He was full of laughter, always smiling. He took care of people.”

Fretz said the Fire Department has done everything they can to support Apuzzio’s family in the days following the young volunteer’s death. He said family members, who have been too distraught to speak to the media, were deeply saddened and upset by the death of their son.

“They are trying to make sense of this,” Fretz said, pointing out that the close-knit family has also spent time praying together.

Apuzzio’s final call as a firefighter began just after 6 a.m. on April 11, when the East Franklin Volunteer Fire Company received word of a structure fire in a single-family home, with a resident still trapped inside. Arriving at the scene, Apuzzio led a crew of four men into the burning structure in an attempt to rescue Betty Scott, who was found unconscious in her bedroom. During the rescue attempt, the first floor of the structure collapsed. Apuzzio and Scott fell to the basement and became trapped inside the flame-filled house. He was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

A student at the Livingston College of Rutgers University, Apuzzio was a a criminal justice major and had recently taken the New York City Police exam, hoping to pursue a career in law enforcement.

He was a member of the Rutgers Emergency Medical Services Department and a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.

Apuzzio’s death marked the first time a firefighter from the East Franklin Volunteer Fire Company was killed in the line of duty since the department was established on July 29, 1929.

Apuzzio is survived by his parents, Joseph and Marili Apuzzio of Union, and his sister, Leila Apuzzio.

For Ceremony Photos, click here.