A 27-year-old Illinois firefighter described as a "rising star" in her department committed suicide Tuesday.
Hinsdale firefighter Nicole Hladik had been the only female firefighter currently serving with the department, WGN-TV reports. She also was the third female firefighter in the department's history.
"This is a devastating loss for her family and friends, the Fire Department, and the entire Village," a release from the village stated.
Brian Kulaga, Hladik's uncle, told WGN that his niece had been very happy with her job initially and "was a bright, rising star in the fire service." But he said her demeanor changed recently.
“Then she traded shifts and suddenly just a lot of negativity and then leading up to today, which was obviously a complete surprise to all of us,” he told WGN.
Calling Nicole "a great friend" and describing her as "super active" and "a family person," Joseph Hladik, Nicole's brother, called his sister "a great friend" and described her as "a family person." He and his family have been struggling to understand why Nicole took her life.
“Our goal is, we just want someone to look into this," Joseph Hladik told WGN. "It’s not an accusation. It’s just the facts are, how could someone who was so happy and loved what she was doing go from one spectrum to the other end? It just doesn’t make any sense.”
