Officials have identified the Cleveland firefighter who died in a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 90 Saturday night.
Firefighter Johnny Tetrick, 51, a 27-year veteran of the Cleveland Fire Department, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, the fire department shared.
"Engine 22 was working on the scene of an mva on I-90 near the MLK exit. One of our brothers was struck and tragically killed by a vehicle that went around emergency vehicles," a Facebook post from Cleveland Fire Fighters IAFF Local 93 read, in which they shared a photo of the vehicle that struck the firefighter.
Tetrick was struck while operating in the fast lane of the busy Interstate 90 where they had responded to a crash with an overturned vehicle just after 8:15 p.m., Fox8.com reported.
"Every firefighter is prepared to lay down their life in the line of duty. As Safety Director of University Heights, I take that seriously," University Height Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan shared on Facebook. "I went to elementary school with Johnny Tetrick back in Geneva at Austinburg Elementary. We didn't stay in regular contact, but I always knew him to see him, and we always said hi when we saw each other," It has been awhile since I had seen him, but I knew he was a Cleveland Firefighter. Running into him one night a few years back, we had talked about his work. Last night, Johnny Tetrick died after being struck by a car on I-90 East. He was out there doing his job when he was killed."
Police in nearby Bratenhal located the vehicle in the hit-and-run and arrested the driver around 3 a.m., according to Fox8.com.
Tetrick leaves behind three children.
This past week was Crash Responder Safety Week, an effort to raise awareness to fire, EMS, law enforcement and tow operators working on roadways.
