LARRY CELONA and BILL HOFFMANN
Courtesy of The New York Post
Two brothers who died rescuing victims at the World Trade Center have been remembered by the Long Island town where they grew up - with two streets named in their memories.
Family Pride: Relatives of the Vigiano brothers, a cop and fireman killed 9/11, unveil the signs of the renamed Deer Park streets. (Mary McLoughlin)
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The residential roads, John Vigiano II Memorial Avenue and Joseph Vigiano Memorial Avenue in Deer Park, were dedicated yesterday as the families of the two heroes, a firefighter and a cop, looked on.
John, who worked for Ladder 132, left behind his wife, Maria, and daughters, Nicolette and Ariana; and Joseph, a detective with ESU Truck 2, left behind his cop wife, Kathy, and sons, Joseph, James and John.
They are the sons of retired Fire Capt. John Vigiano Sr. and his wife, Jan, who also attended.
The day was touched by controversy, though, when the commanding officer of the 75th Precinct, where Kathy works and where she met her husband and worked side by side with him, refused to let cops take the day off to attend.
The reason: an ongoing contract dispute that's led cops to do all jobs "by the book" leading to a backlog of cases.
John Giangrasso, a PBA board member, told The Post: "Joe is one of America's heroes. It's a shame that his extended family were not allowed to pay tribute to his memory."
"Joe was a 75th Precinct cop, and I'm disappointed at the Police Department for not letting his friends and co-workers pay tribute to him," Kathy added.
