An FDNY EMT who's been on the job since 2004 was arrested yesterday after getting caught in a NYC Department of Investigation sting. Officials say Donald Vasquez of Brooklyn was caught on surveillance camera stealing $280 from a man whom he believed was injured. But the "patient" was actually an undercover investigator participating in an "integrity test," which was arranged after someone made a theft complaint against Vasquez. SPOILER: He scored a big fat F on this test (allegedly!). more ›

Shouldn't New York's Emergency dispatch system be well protected from the computer problems that plague the rest of us? The city has spent a lot of time and money on its ongoing Emergency Communications Transformation Program (which NASA was recently called in to help with). And yet still, the FDNY's computers decided to go offline not once but twice this weekend. Luckily a rep for FDNY tells us that "No Operational, Response, or Patient issues reported," and that "response times remained at normal levels." more ›

A Staten Island EMT is accused of groping a patient last month inside an ambulance. David Taranto arrived on the scene of a car accident at West Cedarview Ave. and Kensico St., brought the "shaken up" middle-aged woman into his ambulance, and allegedly "took his stethoscope, placed it underneath her shirt and cupped her breast in his hand," SI Live reports. Once at the hospital, Taranto also reportedly told her that she had a "beautiful body," before calling his number from her cell phone. more ›

A psychiatric patient from Jamaica, Queens was being transported to South Oaks Hospital on Long Island yesterday afternoon when he allegedly attacked an EMT in the back of an ambulance, stole a car belonging to an NYPD officer, and led police on a chase to the Bronx. Newsday (paywall) identifies the man as Kenneth Ashley, age 20, and reports that he "viciously assaulted" the attendant when the ambulance was on the Northern State. The driver pulled over to help his partner, which is when Ashley reportedly burst out of the ambulance and began chasing both men around the shoulder of the highway. more ›

Outside of the re-posts of ephemeral Internet regurgitation, Reddit truly is chockfull of great content! And some of the best of that content can be found in the AMA/IAmA section, where everyone from Stephen Colbert to Anthony Weiner to someone who was horrifically abused by their mother will take questions about their lives. Yesterday, a three-year NYC Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) veteran took questions, offered anecdotes, and gave insights into his fast-paced job (he offered photographic proof as well). Some highlights of the conversation below: more ›

A Brooklyn woman got the livery cab ride of her life on Wednesday when her baby decided not to wait for the hospital and instead appeared at 51st Street and Seventh Avenue. Even Sweeney called a cab from Arecibo at 6 p.m., and when she got in, "I was far enough in labor that I was like 'Please lock the doors,' because I knew I was going to be stomping on them." The next thing she, her partner Inez Murray and cabbie Juan Hernandez knew, her water broke. Hernandez said, "She started screaming. I told her, 'If it has to happen here, just push!'" more ›

When man came running out of CVS with "a basket overflowing with L'Oreal and Nexxus bottles" yesterday morning and then threatened a cabdriver with a gun, it wasn't the police who stopped his reign of terror—it was a pair of Richmond University Medical Center EMTs. more ›

Two years after Caroline Wimmer was brutally beaten and strangled to death with the cord of a hairdryer, the young woman's parents are launching a multi-pronged legal attack against the ex-EMT who photographed her lifeless body and then posted the picture to Facebook, the apartment building she lived in, the city, Facbook and even the criminal classification of official misconduct. more ›

Last July, EMT Jason Green was killed outside the Soho nightclub Greenhouse. Because Green was accused of ignoring an ailing pregnant lady, only for her to die, police wondered if he was killed to avenge the woman's death. But Green was killed during a sidewalk argument-turned-fight, leading a cop to say, "It's karma, but it wasn't planned. It wasn't anyone retaliating." Now, one of the men accused of killing Green has been killed near Prospect Park. more ›

Mark "Moose" Musarella, the 48-year-old retired police officer and EMT who got into hot water in 2009 when he posted a picture of strangling victim Caroline Wimmer on his Facebook page, has surrendered his license as part of a plea deal to avoid jail. more ›

Karma has not been kind to the two EMTs accused of ignoring a dying pregnant woman in an Au Bon Pain in December 2009. Last July one of the two, Jason Greene, was fatally shot in the face during a dispute outside of a SoHo club and now comes word that the other accused EMT, Green's then-girlfriend Melissa Jackson, was collared Tuesday trying to swipe $50 worth of cosmetics from a Walmart in Westbury. more ›

We're all in favor of quirky, meet cute-stories, even if we don't particularly want to hear your meet-cute story. But there's a fine line between meet-cute and meet-semiconscious-in-the-back-of-an-ambulance. And there's also a marked difference between playfully pursuing and doggedly stalking, which one lovesick Queens EMT is quickly finding out. more ›

Last year, EMS lieutenant Michael Palleschi faced investigations over violating medical privacy laws and pranking a teenage volunteer. Palleschi allegedly posted details on Facebook of a 911 call in which a woman complained about a "swollen vagina," with the comment, "Can't make this up." An administrative judge has now ruled that Palleschi should lose his job over the goof. He should also probably lose his job for the prank he pulled in which he gave a teenage EMS volunteer a stickup note to give to Dunkin' Donuts employee, telling him it was a bagel order, but he could argue that putting a minor in danger of being arrested is totally funny! more ›

The FDNY is hiring EMTs to man a new "Organ Preservation Vehicle" that will race around Manhattan to make sure fewer organs go to waste. Starting next month, the $1.5 million pilot program will dispatch two EMTs, a "family services coordinator" and a doctor to the scene of accidents or cardiac arrests. If the next of kin consents, after attempts to resuscitate the decedent have failed they'll keep the "potential organ donor" on a ventilator and rush him or her to Bellevue Medical Center to remove the organs. more ›

The EMT who is accused of ignoring a dying pregnant woman in an Au Bon Pain in December 2009 was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court yesterday. Melisa Jackson is charged with a single misdemeanor count of official misconduct for not treating victim Eutisha Rennix, who died after a chronic asthma attack. Prosecutors allege to know the real reason why Jackson called 911 instead of staying to help the woman: "The reason she couldn't stay is Ms. Jackson sneaked out of work where she was supposed to be manning a dispatch terminal," said ADA Kevin Richardson at the arraignment. more ›

A Fire Department EMT was arrested today for a string of sexual assaults in Brooklyn dating back to 2001, including the rape of an 11-year-old girl. Angel Pascal, 33, who was honored at the FDNY's 2007 Medal Day for saving a patient's life, was charged with rape, sexual abuse, criminal sex act and child endangerment. He was caught two days after he allegedly raped a 20-year-old woman, who was able to jot down his license plate number. more ›

The fatally shot EMT who was under investigation for allegedly ignoring a dying pregnant woman because he was on break will get a funeral with full FDNY honors. Jason Green, who was gunned down early Sunday morning during a Soho street fight, will be buried next week, and an FDNY source tells the Post, "The family wanted the honor guard. They wanted the pipes and drums and the lineup of people in uniform when the casket went into the hearse." more ›

Though it seemed plausible, at least from a Law & Order perspective, that the murder of EMT Jason Green might be connected to the death of a pregnant woman he allegedly refused to help because he was on break, a witness says Green was shot during a fight that started over a parking spot. Police had questioned the deceased pregnant woman's twin brother—a soldier set to return to the Middle East one day after the shooting—but they say he had absolutely nothing to do with Green's murder, which happened early Sunday morning after Green and his friend couldn't get into Greenhouse in Soho. more ›

Police investigating the murder of an off-duty EMT in Soho Sunday morning say the shooting was not connected to the EMT's infamous, alleged refusal to provide medical attention to a dying pregnant woman last year. The Brooklyn DA has been investigating Jason Green (and his partner, Melisa Jackson), but no criminal charges have been filed against them yet. The woman who died, Eutisha Rennix, had a twin brother, Eudane, who, according to the Daily News, is a soldier scheduled to return to service in the Middle East on Sunday. more ›

Jason Green, one of the EMTs accused of ignoring a dying pregnant woman last December, was fatally shot earlier this morning in Soho. The Daily News reports, "Jason Green, 32 - who was suspended by the FDNY for 30 days for abandoning Au Bon Pain worker Eutisha Rennix in December - was shot in the face outside of Greenhouse club in Soho about 5 a.m., police said. He was off duty at the time." more ›

Sometimes, people just can't take a joke. Especially when that joke involves a violation of medical-privacy laws, or could make a teenager look like a criminal. Michael Palleschi, 36, is facing his second investigation over his twisted sense of humor, and could lose his job with the FDNY. He first got into trouble after posting details of a 911 call in which a woman complained of a swollen vagina on Facebook. The FDNY pushed to get him fired, but that didn't stop him from continuing with the goofs. more ›

The city EMTs accused of ignoring a dying pregnant woman while they were buying breakfast in a Downtown Brooklyn cafe called the allegations against them "lies and fabrications." Queens residents Jason Green and Melissa Jackson — whose 30-day suspensions end today — said they did everything they could on the morning of Dec. 9, when Eutisha Revee Rennix collapsed in a backroom of an Au Bon Pain and later died of an asthma attack. Her unborn child also perished. more ›

Preliminary results from an autopsy have revealed that an asthma attack claimed the life of a pregnant 25-year-old who died after two EMTs refused to treat her inside a Downtown Brooklyn cafe. Now, the question is, could Eutisha Revee Rennix's asthma attack have been treated? more ›

The body of Eutisha Revee Rennix — a pregnant woman who died after two city EMTs refused to treat her — will be exhumed for an autopsy, the Daily News reports. Rennix passed away on Dec. 9 after collapsing at work in a Downtown Brooklyn cafe where medics who were buying breakfast reportedly declined to help her. more ›

The two EMTs accused of refusing to aid a dying pregnant woman while they bought breakfast told investigators that they couldn't treat the woman because of "protocol, training and regulations," according to the Post. Medics Melissa Jackson and Jason Green — who are dating — allegedly told employees at a Downtown Brooklyn Au Bon Pain to "call 911" instead of taking a look at Eutisha Revee Rennix, who collapsed in the eatery's backroom and died with her unborn child later that day. more ›

After allegedly responding to an Au Bon Pain employee's pleas to help a dying coworker with, "We're on our break, so there's nothing we can do," an EMT placed a call to her dispatcher to report a woman with "difficulty breathing." But according to a source who's heard a recording of the call, EMT Melisa Jackson was more concerned with covering her ass than getting help for pregnant 25-year-old Eutisha Revee Rennix. "Don't put my name in it!" Jackson allegedly told the dispatcher. more ›

During her first interview since taking a stray bullet to the skull in November, 16-year-old Vada Vasquez called attention to the paramedics who saved her life, telling the Daily News she was "just really happy" someone was holding her hand as she was lying on the sidewalk with blood pouring out of her head. That someone was paramedic Pierre Ramos, and the News tracked him down yesterday for an interview made even more heartwarming in light of this week's other story, of EMTs who allegedly turned their back on a dying woman. more ›