Off Duty FDNY Firefighter Foils Robbery

Aug. 29, 2003
Off-duty firefighter Peter Blaich ran to the rescue the moment he spotted two thugs trying to rob a cabdriver.

Off-duty firefighter Peter Blaich ran to the rescue the moment he spotted two thugs trying to rob a cabdriver.

Blaich was on his way to take a final exam to complete his master's degree at John Jay College when he saw a crowd gathering on West 59th Street.

When he got closer, he heard people yelling, "Police!" and spotted two men pulling a driver out from behind the wheel of his cab.

"It quickly registered that this guy was getting robbed," Blaich said. "They were pulling the driver onto the street and he was bleeding heavily from the mouth and face."

Blaich ran to stop the muggers because no one else was helping.

"I grabbed one of the guys trying to rob him and punched him," he said. "It was just instinct

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