FDNY Letter Says Teen Deliberately Sneezed in FF's Face

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An FDNY officer claims a Brooklyn firefighter contracted COVID-19 after a teenager taunted him about the virus and intentionally sneezed in his face.

In a letter sent last week to FDNY Chief of Operations Thomas Richardson and obtained by NY1, Lt. Kasey Koslowski with Engine 282 in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn claims that a firefighter contracted the deadly virus during an encounter with three teenage boys.

According to the letter, firefighters responded to a call on March 18, and when one of them was checking on a hydrant he was confronted by the teens, who "taunted him and asked him if he was afraid of the coronavirus."

The letter says the firefighter tried to keep his distance from the boys but that one of them managed to sneeze in his face before running off.

The document goes on to say that the firefighter began experiencing flu-like symptoms four days after the incident and was eventually diagnosed with COVID-19 and placed in medical leave.

"Although we will not be able to tell if this positive COVID-19 test result is a direct outcome of the previous incident, what we do know is the continued disregard by the citizens of Boro (sic) Park for the state of emergency policy," the letter says.

When contacted by NY1, the FDNY said it cannot comment on whether the firefighter did in fact test positive for the virus, citing patient rights, and also would not comment on the claims made in the letter.