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The papers have a few more details about the Halloween night rape in Chelsea. Police believe the attacker who dressed as a firefighter to gain access to the victim's West 24th Street apartment was definitely targeting her. The Post reports, he "knew her name, where she lived, where she worked, whom she dated and the fact that she had just broken up with someone" and he also "knocked on her door only 15 minutes after she got home," after setting two fires in the building. From the Daily News, the attacker did eat food and use the bathroom during the 12-13 attack (he had drugged the woman), but took all the trash with him, as well as a pair of her high heels. The NYPD is reviewing surveillance tapes from London Terrace to see if they can find the attacker. The son of the building super, who had unwittingly worn the gas mask used by the attacker, said, "If it was up to me, I'd put him in an oven and light it. He wants to be a fireman, let him put out that fire." Newsday says police may have a suspect in the case, but he has not been questioned yet.
We've been looking on the FDNY site to see if there are any directions about when to know to open your door to a firefighter (and how you know if one is authentic), but we haven't found anything yet. We guess you would ask them to see a badge and perhaps have your super's and/or neighbor's numbers ready to call them, to check it out - but if you do smell a fire, such as the case in this attack, what are you to do?
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Possibly a good way to tell: Judging by the recent small fire in our building, you could look down in the street (or call a friend whose apartment faces that way) and see lots and lots of firetrucks. They send loads of trucks for even minor fires, and there weren't one or two firemen in the building, there were swarms of them, pounding up and down the stairs like a herd of elephants. One lone fireman wandering around - not normal. The cops, too, usually come in small groups, not alone. However, had I not experienced it myself that way, it never would have occurred to me - I might well have opened the door to a fireman (or policeman) myself.
Nice photo to go with story.
Having been asked to open the door for a (legitimate) policeman before, here's the trick: ask for their police ID in addition to the badge. Badges are easy to fake; real policemen also carry NYPD identification cards. I can't really remember what it looked like--it was 5 years ago--but it had a photo, looked pretty standard government-issue, and was laminated like a drivers license. Make sure the picture matches the cop and the number on the card matches the number on the badge.
Dunno about firefighters, but my bet is that you would see/hear the truck and that a firefighter showing up before your smoke detector going off would be a little odd.
Sure, you can ask for ID...but once you open the door slightly anyone can push their way in unless you have your door chained.
just want to ditto that firefighters come in droves for the smallest thing. my carbon monoxide detector went off twice last winter and both times, about half a dozen firefighters came into my apartment to check it out, plus two firetrucks outside. i hadn't thought about it before (who would?) but a lone fireman would be pretty unusual. as for cops, i once let two cops into my building. only two were together, but if they would have come to my door, i probably would have asked for their precinct and names and called in before i opened the door.