A group of off-duty uniformed firefighters got into a drunken bare-knuckled brawl at a Bronx bar on Wednesday — just hours after they were honored for their heroics by the mayor and fire commissioner, the Daily News has learned.
A racial slur thrown at a black firefighter sparked the fight inside Billy’s Bar near Yankee Stadium between Bronx’s Rescue Company 3 and members of Ladder Company 49 and Engine Company 68, which share a stationhouse in Highbridge.
“They were drinking since 11 a.m.,” said a source with knowledge of the incident. “They show up at the bar after the medal ceremony and they got out of hand. The ladder and engine guys were fighting with the Rescue 3 guys.”
Fists began flying after Rescue 3 member called a firefighter from the other house a “n----r,” according to sources.
The brawl got so out of control that bouncers sprayed at least one firefighter with pepper spray as they broke up the fisticuffs, sources said.
Cops were also called.
A video taken of the aftermath showed a group inebriated, unsteady firefighters — their shirt tails untucked and sleeves rolled up — arguing with each other.
One firefighter is seen pushing a police officer trying to break the fight up. Other firefighters held the soused smoke-eaters back as they talked to the cops.
“Hey I think I’d be going to jail!” one witness screamed at the scene. “Where the cops at! Where the cops at!”
“They just had a big fight right here!” the witness, who was off camera. “You guys got great jobs. I have nothing to lose.”
No arrests were made. Nor were any police reports filed.
Bronx firefighters argue on the sidewalk following a brawl inside at Billy's Bar near Yankee Stadium earlier this week. Bouncers reportedly had to mace at least one firefighter to break up the argument. (@will_tooill via Instagram)
A 911 call brought cops to Billy’s Bar Wednesday evening, but the incident was categorized as “other,” officials said.
Onlookers were surprised no one ended up in handcuffs.
“The police did nothing but send them home,” wrote Instagram user Will_tooill, who posted the video. “The firefighter van almost ran them over a couple minutes after this.”
“I wouldnt be surprised if the driver had something to drink,” he said.
But the intervention only brought a brief hiatus to the fight, sources said.
A short time later, three drunken white members of Ladder 49/Engine 68 went to Rescue 3 on Washington Ave. in Claremont to continue the fight — but were beaten up and sent home.
The brawl took place inside Billy's Sports Bar and Lounge on E. 161 St. (Sam Costanza for New York Daily News)
“They went to Rescue 3 to settle the score and wound up on the losing end because they were drunk fighting against the sober on duty firefighters,” the source said.
No one was seriously injured in either fight.
Workers at Billy’s Bar, which caters to cops and firemen, would not comment on Wednesday’s brawl.
FDNY brass have been made aware of the fisticuffs, a department spokesman said.
“The Fire Department initiated an investigation following reports of a fight involving off-duty uniformed firefighters Wednesday night in the Bronx, and has since obtained disturbing video that we have shared with the city’s Department of Investigation,” FDNY spokesman Francis Gribbon said.
Firefighters from Engine 68/Ladder 49 on Ogden Ave. were involved. (New York Daily News)
FDNY Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro vowed to get to the bottom of what happened.
“Everyone and anyone who engaged it this outrageous behavior will be held accountable,” he said.
The FDNY are in the beginning stages of the investigation and are in the process of identifying those involved, a spokesman said.
So far, no one has been disciplined.
Rescue 3 was at Billy’s Bar celebrating one of their own — Firefighter Matthew Murphy was awarded with the both the Vincent J. Kane Medal and the Brummer Medal for heroic acts at two separate Bronx fires.
Firefighters from Rescue 3 on Washington Ave. were at Billy’s Bar celebrating Firefighter Matthew Murphy's awards. (New York Daily News)
In September, he pulled three people out of a burning building in Parkchester, officials said. Two months later, he helped free a trapped woman from a second floor apartment in a Bronx home.
It was unclear if Murphy was at the bar or involved in the scuffle.
Sources said the hook and ladder firefighters were primed for a fight — upset that Rescue company members get all the glory on Medal Day.
“The rescue companies have a history of getting more medals when they do the same job as regular firehouses,” the source said. “It’s a thorn in the side of regular firefighters.”
Another source said that whatever personal or professional resentment they had toward each other bubbled to the surface as more beer flowed Wednesday.
“Alcohol and firemen don’t mix,” he said.
A Missouri woman has lost her job and is facing outrage on social media after a racist Snapchat video of her using the n-word was shared on Facebook. Tabitha “Tabbie” Duncan was fired from her job at a St. Louis restaurant just hours after the video began to go viral, the Riverfront Times reports.
In the video, Duncan can be heard using the racial slur while others talk about going “n*gger hunting.” The shocking video was shared on Facebook on June 10 by someone who saw it on Snapchat and it has since been shared by many social media users, including social justice activists. Duncan, a 20-year-old Jefferson County, Missouri, resident was fired by the Social Bar and Grill, described by the Riverfront Times as a “breastaurant,” on Monday, June 11, the bar said on Facebook.
Duncan, has deleted most of her social media profiles, including a June 10 tweet saying she had “dropped to her knees in prayer,” and could not be immediately reached for comment by Heavy. Two other people seen in the video have been identified as Joshua Davenport and Brianna Haas.
Here’s what you need to know about Tabbie Duncan and the video:
The brief Snapchat video was posted to Facebook on Sunday by Kalle Bates, who saw it on Snapchat. You can watch the video, which is uncensored and includes multiple uses of the n-word, above. Bates wrote in her post, “So many things wrong with this Snapchat… drinking and driving and what’s being said. Why does this still get said, joke or not?”
The video shows Tabbie Duncan in the passenger seat of a truck with a Michelob Ultra in her hand and her feet up on the dashboard. A man who is off camera can heard saying, “so are we going n*gger hunting today or what?” Another man replies, “yeah we’re going n*gger hunting.” The first man replies, “we’re going n*gger hunting right now, huh?” Duncan can then be heard replying, “You get them n*ggers” while smile smirking into the camera.
The man then says to her, “look at my soon-to-be sister-in-law, she looks so pretty.” Duncan then smiles as the video ends.
The video was posted to Snapchat by Brianna Nicole Haas. And one of the men in the video has been identified as Joshua Davenport. The other man has not been identified.
2. The Social Bar & Grill Says They ‘Immediately Terminated’ Duncan After Learning About the Video & Says Her ‘Incendiary Comments’ Don’t Represent Their Owners’ ‘Views, Opinions & Policies’
Tabbie Duncan at Social Bar and Grill, where she worked as a waitress.
The Social Bar and Grill was flooded with comments Sunday night and Monday morning about Tabbie Duncan, who was featured in several photos on their Facebook page in her Social waitressing uniform. Those photos have since been removed and the bar posted a message Monday afternoon saying Duncan had been fired from her job there.
“Social Bar & Grill and it’s owners have recently become aware of a vile,disgusting, and offensive video made by one of its employees,” the Facebook post said. “Upon learning of this, Social Bar & Grill immediately terminated this employee as soon as they could reach her! The incendiary comments made by this employee absolutely does NOT represent the views, opinions, and policies of Social Bar & Grill and it’s owners. Nor will they be tolerated in any fashion. Social Bar & Grill and it’s owners continue to encourage and seek diversity in its restaurant.”
Not everyone is happy with how the Social Bar and Grill handled the situation, posts on the restaurant’s Facebook page show. A screengrab of a Facebook Messenger conversation between a concerned Facebook user and a representative of the restaurant’s Facebook page shows that the restaurant initially responded by saying, “Please stop posting this to our establishments page.” The user responded, “It’ll be posted everywhere. That’s nasty you allow people like that to work for you.” The restaurant’s rep responded, “It has nothing to do (with) my business and you will receive a cease and desist letter from (our) lawyer (if) you continue.”
In response to that screengrab, the restaurant’s owners wrote on Facebook, “The initial response made regarding the video being posted to the social media page was made by a person who helps with the social media aspect of our marketing and didn’t know the person or if they were even an actual employee. Once the owners became aware and confirmed it was an actual employee, immediate action was taken and the employee was terminated.”
3. Duncan Recently Enlisted in the U.S. Air Force & She Has Worked at a St. Louis-Area Hospital
Tabbie Duncan.
Tabitha “Tabbie” Duncan recently enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, according to a social media post from a family member. The family member wrote in the post, May 31 post, which shows Duncan standing between an American flag and the Air Force flag with her hand raised as if she was being sworn in, “So Tabbie Duncan did a thing today. Welcome to the United States Air Force!! So proud of you.” The Air Force has not commented about the video.
When asked on Facebook about the video, a representative from the U.S. Air Force Recruiting page replied, “We have been made aware of a video online of an alleged reserve Airman who made racially insensitive comments. We are looking into the matter and we appreciate this being brought to our attention. The U.S. Air Force values diversity and inclusion; our Airmen come together to produce an incredible team that can accomplish any mission and overcome any challenge. We believe that our greatest asset is our diverse, innovative and technically-savvy workforce. Our Airmen come from all backgrounds and remarks such as these do not fall in line with our culture. We take incidents like this very seriously and action will be taken upon further investigation as necessary.”
Other social media posts show that Duncan works or has worked at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in Creve Coeur, Missouri. A photo on her Instagram page shows her with another hospital employee with a hospital name-badge clipped to her shirt. It is not clear what job she had or has at the hospital. The hospital has also not commented about the video or Duncan’s employment status.
4. She Is Also an Aspiring Model & Has Posted Several Modeling Photos on Her Instagram Page
Tabbie Duncan.
Tabbie Duncan is also an aspiring model, along with being an Air Force recruit, a waitress and a hospital staffer. Her Instagram profile is filled with photos from her modeling shoots.
Duncan also has a modeling page on Google Photos featuring pictures taken at shoots between October 2017 and February 2018.
Duncan is from Imperial, Missouri, in Jefferson County, about 25 minutes outside of St. Louis. She has three sisters. Duncan graduated from Seckman High School in Imperial two years ago, where she was a cheerleader.
5. On Her Facebook Page, Which Included Pro-Trump Memes & Memes Attacking NFL Players, She Posted a Quote Saying ‘Everyone Makes Mistakes in Life’ as the Video Went Viral
InstagramTabitha “Tabbie” Duncan/
Duncan deleted her Facebook page after the video began to go viral. According to the Riverfront Times, the page included pro-Trump memes and a meme bashing NFL players for kneeling during the National Anthem.
Before deleting her page, Duncan shared a quotation that said, “Everyone makes, mistakes in life, but that doesn’t mean they have to pay for them the rest of their life/sometimes good people make bad choices/It doesn’t mean they are bad.”
In April, she wrote on Twitter, “There comes a time where you need to realize every decision you make, needs to be for you. Despite selfishness and criticism acts you’ll be thrown, just know what you do now is what you’ll have later. Everything will fall in place, I promise.” And in another tweet, she wrote, “God will have you through it before anyone else will.”
Support The who again? Yeah, think not. Support individuals, not the wholeReport: White Supremacists Now Receiving Military Training from Texas Marine Veteran
A Texas Marine veteran is using his military expertise to train and empower a burgeoning group of white extremists, an exclusive report by The Daily Beast has revealed.
Leaked messages obtained by reporter James LaPorta outed veteran Erick Sailors, a former U.S. Marine, as the head of the Texas chapter of white supremacist group Patriot Front. The organization was formed after the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va. last summer, during which a counter-protester was killed.
