FDNY Promotes Fallen Firefighter to Lieutenant During His Funeral

FDNY's commissioner announced at the Patrick Brady's funeral that he would be posthumously promoted to lieutenant.

By Thomas Tracy

Source New York Daily News

Nov. 16, 2025

4 min read

Patrick Brady, an FDNY firefighter for 11 years, died on Nov. after going into cardiac arrest while working on the roof of a Brooklyn high-rise building. Brady was promoted to lieutenant by Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker during his funeral.

A city firefighter who died fighting a blaze at a Brooklyn apartment building was posthumously promoted to lieutenant Saturday as scores of mourners paid tribute to the beloved Rockaway joker and shark lover with an unmatched zest for life.

A sea of crisp blue uniforms lined Rockaway Beach Blvd. outside of St. Francis de Sales Church in Queens to remember Firefighter Patrick Brady, everyone’s favorite “roof man” — a key position in the firehouse he held with honor at Ladder Company 120 in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

“There are a lot of Bradys in the Rockaways, but it’s safe to say that Pat was the apex Brady,” his cousin, FDNY Firefighter Peter Brady, explained, trying to encapsulate how much the fallen firefighter meant to those in the packed church. “He had the unique ability to be the most popular, coolest guy with absolutely none of the ego.”

Brady, 42, was working on the roof of a six-story burning building on Kings Highway near E. 94th St. in East Flatbush late Saturday when he went into cardiac arrest, officials said.

His fellow firefighters and FDNY medics attempted lifesaving measures before the 11-year FDNY veteran was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital, where he died.

Scores of first responders flocked to the Rockaways to honor Brady’s life and sacrifice on Saturday. Hundreds more turned out at a wake for the fallen firefighter in Marine Park.

Known for the dozens of group chats he created, his love of Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” and the yearly “Mustache Bash” he organized — which had been scheduled for Saturday — Brady left an indelible mark on everyone he knew, friends and family said.

Dennis Brady, father fallen FDNY firefighter (at left) during the funeral for his son at the Church of Saint Francis DeSales in Queens on Sat. Nov. 15.

“He had best friends in every age group, from 20 to 80,” Peter Brady said.

Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker, who announced at the funeral that Brady would be posthumously promoted to lieutenant, said the fallen firefighter had even encouraged him to do the unexpected.

Upon learning that one of his friends was going to become Tucker’s driver, Brady texted his pal, writing, “Think we can get that Jewish fire commissioner to drink an Irish coffee with us at Margie’s?” a restaurant in the Rockaway hotel, the commissioner was told.

“I drank my very first Irish coffee in his honor this week, although I didn’t put my nose in it as he was accustomed of doing,” Tucker joked. “My profound sadness comes in knowing I didn’t have a chance to drink it with the king of the Rockaways.”

Fighting fires was in Brady’s blood, mourners said. His brothers Jimmy and Brian are both FDNY firefighters, and several cousins and uncles served in the department as well, officials said.

Brady grew up on Beach 129th St. in Belle Harbor, where he shared a private joke with everyone he met, friends said. He joined the FDNY in July 2014 and was most recently assigned to Ladder 120 in Brownsville in 2022.

His pranks and jovial nature were legendary, according to Lt. Kevin Healy, who was sworn into the FDNY with Brady and worked side-by-side in Brooklyn for years. An impressive wave of whiskers drooped under the FDNY boss’ nose in preparation for his friend’s Mustache Bash.

“You knew it would be a good tour if Pat was working,” Healy remembered. “He was the type of guy everyone wanted to work with. No matter what we were in for (that day), we would be back in the firehouse in tears laughing with Pat.”

Brady and his wife, Kara, married in a memorable April Fools’ Day 2023 ceremony, where the 300 guests thought they were celebrating his 40th birthday, friends recalled.

“We don’t know if anyone can top Pat Brady’s April Fool’s prank but it sure was a good one!” the Rockaway Times posted on Facebook a day after the ceremony.

“Firefighter Patrick Brady gave his life protecting the city we all love. There is no sacrifice that is more selfless,” Mayor Adams said last Sunday. The mayor had a planned trip to Israel over the weekend and did not attend Brady’s funeral.

Brady was the second FDNY member to die in the line of duty in the past two weeks.

Paramedic Salih Abdur Rahman, 46, died Oct. 29 after finishing a shift at the FDNY Training Academy on Randalls Island. He joined the FDNY in 2002, when he was 23, serving for half of his life.

In total, 1,163 members of the FDNY have died in the line of duty, according to officials.