Firefighter Pranksters Don't Want Jail Time

Last October, a fire was started outside the Engine 34/Ladder 21 firehouse on West 38th Street. The fire was put out, but upon investigation, it turned out the ones who set it were firefighters from different firehouses! A surveillance cameras actually captured Michael Izzo and Richard Capece purchasing the gasoline at a gas station and later splashing the stationhouse's garage door and igniting it, setting off what was described as a fireball.

The pair were in court yesterday and Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Laura Ward said, "These are incredibly serious charges...I'm not going to go into what I think about your actions." The Post reports that Ward referred to their hopes of a no-jail plea bargain since no one was actually hurt, "[Your lawyers are] going to have to come up with something very creative before I sign off on this one." No kidding - any civilian who did that would probably face jail time. Even Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta had said it was "an outrageous, depraved act that should be prosecuted to the full extent under the law."

Some suggest that the rowdy camaraderie (think Rescue Me) might have inspired the prank. And right after the incident, an Engine 34/Ladder 21 firefighter told Newsday that Capece was a dear friend who he loved "to death. But we're instructed not to comment about it."