FDNY Dedicates Plaque, Street to Firefighter

Sept. 26 -- The FDNY on Wednesday dedicated a plaque and street to William Tolley, the longtime New York City firefighter and Bethpage resident who plunged off a Queens roof last year and down five stories to his death.

The plaque, unveiled late in the morning at Engine 286/Ladder 135 in the borough, immortalizes Tolley as a man “who made the supreme sacrifice” when he died at age 42 on April 20, 2017.

The street, 66th Place, near Myrtle Avenue, was then named in Tolley’s honor.

“It’s nice to know that he’s watching over this firehouse and over this community forever,” his widow, Marie Tolley, said at the firehouse.

Also at the ceremony were their daughter, Isabella, who was 8 when her dad died, and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"We are gathered here to perform a sacred task, to write into the history books the name William Tolley," de Blasio said.

In the days after Tolley’s death, FDNY investigators focused on whether Tolley had been jolted from a raised fire truck bucket. 

Tolley was a 14-year veteran when he was dispatched to 1615 Putnam Ave. in the Ridgewood section of Queens. The blaze began after the occupants lit incense for religious reasons and left the flame unattended, the FDNY has said. Tolley was assigned to the roof as an outside ventilation firefighter.

In September, a sign featuring “F.D.N.Y. Firefighter William N. Tolley Way” was unveiled at the intersection of Crestline Avenue and Acme Avenue in Bethpage. Tolley also served as a volunteer for the Bethpage and Hicksville fire departments.

At Wednesday’s ceremony, FDNY Chief of Department James E. Leonard said firefighters must never forget Tolley.

“That’s how we live on. That’s why we are who we are. Because we can never forget,” Leonard said, adding: “There will become a time when nobody here knew Billy Tolley, whether it’s 20, 30, 40 years from now. It’s our goal — our duty to remember.”

___ (c)2018 Newsday Visit Newsday at www.newsday.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.