Working in the emergency services is an inherently dangerous line of work. Regardless of how long you’ve been on the job, you will always find yourself facing an unexpected situation. Unfortunately, those can be tragedies, like the one in New York last night, at 7:10pm, on White Plains Road in the Bronx.
Flagged down for reports of someone riding on the rear bumper of the ambulance, FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo and her partner exited their ambulance. Shortly afterward, 25-year-old Jose Gonzalez jumped into the driver’s seat of the FDNY ambulance and attempted to flee. The suspect placed the truck in reverse, running over Arroyo as she attempted to regain control of the ambulance. The suspect then put the truck in drive, running over EMT Arroyo again as he turned onto Watson Avenue. During this terrible ordeal, EMT Arroyo’s partner was also run over by the suspect.
An MTA Police Officer was driving by as the incident unfolded and quickly apprehended the suspect with the help of bystanders. Both EMS personnel were transported to Jacobi Medical Center in The Bronx. Arroyo succumbed to her injuries; her partner remains in critical condition.
Arroyo was 44 years old and a 14-year veteran of FDNY EMS. She was also a mother of five kids, ages 7 to 23. She and her partner were based out of station 26 in The Bronx. The suspect, Jose Gonzalez, is being charged with murder, grand larceny and operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be made, but this is the 8th line of duty death (LODD) for FDNY EMS, and 1,146th for the FDNY in total.
There is video of the horrific incident but out of respect for the fallen, The Drive will not be posting it.