On a recent afternoon, Kristin Zazulka, 18, and her 8-year-old sister watched from the window as their father walked hand-in-hand with another young girl to their grandmother's house next door.
"My dad was taking his girlfriend's little girl to my grandmother's, and I thought it would break my little sister's heart, watching them," said Kristin. "She still believes Daddy is coming home to us."
He's not. Firefighter John Zazulka "walked out" on his wife and own four kids to be with 9/11 widow Debbie Amato and her four children, his wife and children say.
Zazulka had acted as a family liaison after Amato's husband died in the terror attacks.
"We knew he was escorting [9/11] families around. It's what firemen do," said Kristin. "We were proud of him. We never dreamed where it would lead."
Zazulka, who did not return calls to The Post, lowered the boom on his wife and kids one month after a happy family vacation in October 2002.
Now the Zazulka kids and their mom, Susan, are forced to duke it out with Dad in a Staten Island court for money to live. Already, John has twice been cited for contempt by a judge for failure to pay basic living expenses. Susan's father had to take over payment on Kristin's car, which, for six months after John's departure, was the family's only mode of transportation.
Last month, Zazulka's 16-year-old son was forced to leave his prep school when his dad didn't pay the tuition - although tax returns show he earns more than $100,000 a year from the FDNY, and he recently cashed in a $20,000 life-insurance policy, according to Susan's lawyer.
Susan is concerned with the effect on her kids. "We will make it through this, but I have a lot of work to do with my kids," she said.
"There are many heroes of 9/11, but John is not one of them. He is a coward."
Related:
FDNY Hero Hubby 'Killed' His Marriage
FDNY's Dirty Secret
Why Flames of Passion Are Stoked
