Two Newark, NJ, Fire Stations Dedicated to Fallen Fire Captains

July 31, 2024
Plaques for Captains Wayne Brooks Jr. and Augusto Acabou, killed in a ship fire in 2023, were unveiled at their stations Tuesday.

Two firehouses were dedicated to a pair of Newark fire captains who died in the line of duty last summer. 

Captains Wayne Brooks, Jr. and Augusto Acabou were killed July 5, 2023 while battling a blaze on a massive cargo ship in Port Newark. 

Engine 16 - Ladder 8 was dedicated to Acabou, where he was assigned.

"We appreciate them doing the plaque dedication, but it's never going to be the same. That heartache is always going to be there," Miguel Acabou, Augusto's brother, told abc7. 

Engine 27 - Ladder 4 was dedicated to Brooks, his home station. 

"It's hard being 47 and a widow. Especially when that person was your best friend," Michell Brooks said. 

The two families stayed together for both services.

"I never thought my brother would ever have to go through something like this," said Acabou.

The city of Newark has promised the support of both families.

"To dedicate, week after week after week, these men's names into the memory of our city to send them off like the heroes that they were," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said.

 

About the Author

Susan Nicol | News Editor

Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.