Mourners gather for East Islip wake of fallen FDNY firefighter from LI

First responders and other mourners who gathered in East Islip on Tuesday for fallen FDNY firefighter Jesse Gerhard’s wake described him as deeply committed to his job, his family and his friends.

Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, speaking to reporters outside the Frederick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home in East Islip, called Tuesday "a very, very difficult day for the FDNY."

"We spent some time with his family and it’s so obvious how beloved Jesse was to everyone in his life," Kavanagh said. "He was a wonderful uncle, a great son."

Kavanagh said Gerhard, 33, was a "quiet, strong presence" who looked after those around him at Ladder Company 134, the Far Rockaway firehouse where he was stationed.

"It’s just heartbreaking to see a young life taken so soon from a family that loved him so much," Kavanagh said.

Along with the commissioner, hundreds of firefighters, police officers and other mourners attended the wake. Gerhard, who grew up in Islip, died last Wednesday, a day after he and other members of his ladder company responded to a two-alarm fire on Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway.

Assigned to the "irons" position, Gerhard was responsible for gaining entry to the building by forcing open the door so other firefighters could enter to fight the fire and join him in searching for those who may have been trapped. The fire resulted in minor injuries to four civilians. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Gerhard was on duty just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday when he suffered an undisclosed "medical episode," officials said. He was taken to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, where he later died, officials said.

Results of an autopsy to determine what caused his death are "pending further study following the initial examination," the New York City medical examiner’s office said Friday.

Gerhard was also a volunteer with the Islip Fire Deparment, which honored the firefighter Tuesday by parking two trucks decorated with purple and black bunting outside the funeral home. Signs in the windshield said "In Memory of Jesse Gerhard." A large American flag hung between two Islip ladder trucks parked on Montauk Highway near Yuma Lane.

FDNY Ladder Company 134 firefighter Carl Kretkowski said Gerhard brought tremendous commitment to his job — and everything else in life.

"If he’s not sleeping, he’s working," said Kretkowski, a 15-year FDNY veteran. "He was dedicated to any craft, whether it be a fireman, whether it be a carpenter, whether it be welding, whatever it was."

Gerhard split his time between Islip, where he grew up, and Long Beach, where he would sometimes stay with fellow firefighters when he was scheduled to work in Far Rockaway.

He was first appointed as a probationary firefighter in December 2017, and previously worked as an emergency medical technician, beginning in July 2014. As an EMT, Gerhard had been assigned to Station 10 in Manhattan and Station 47 in Far Rockaway, before entering the fire academy in 2017.

He graduated in April 2018 and was first assigned to Engine Co. 264 in Far Rockaway before transferring, in March 2020, to Ladder 134. The FDNY said he'd been honored once for bravery.

Gerhard’s funeral Mass will be held at noon Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Bay Shore, according to the FDNY. Suffolk County police announced there will be road closures in the area around St. Patrick's between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Main Street will be closed between Community Road and 4th Avenue, Mechanicsville Road will be closed between 4th Avenue and Clinton Avenue, and Gibson Street will be closed at the intersections of South Clinton, Bay and Ocean avenues.

He is the 1,156th FDNY member to die in the line of duty, the department said. The last FDNY member to die on the job was Lt. Joseph Maiello, who died on Dec. 26.