A recently retired FDNY firefighter is accused of participating in the Washington, D.C., riots earlier this month after he was allegedly identified in photos and videos from the Capitol.
Thomas Fee, who retired from the FDNY in October after a 22-year career, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, the New York Daily News reports. Fee, 53, of Freeport on Long Island, surrendered and was taken into custody early Tuesday.
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"Department members, whether active or retired, must not engage in conduct that tends to bring the Department into disrepute, or is disruptive to the discipline and good order of the Department," FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement, CNN reports.
Authorities were able to confirm Fee's identity by comparing images acquired from a witness with the retired firefighter's driver's license photo.
The allegations against Fee come after two other FDNY firefighters—one still active and another retired—were allegedly seen at the riot, the Daily News reports. The charges come on the heels of a department-wide memo from Nigro emphasizing that even though the FDNY "respects the right of all members to take and personally support social and political positions," members—both active and retired—"must act with the utmost discretion and respect for others," as well as obey the law.
