By Jenniger H. Cunningham
Herald News
Copyright 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.,
All Rights Reserved
PATERSON, N.J. — Ash to Ash. Dust to Dust. Brother to Brother. Never forgotten.
Although the phrases on the placard inside the Southside Firehouse refer to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, they summed up the palpable emotions that the firefighters felt after the shooting death of their former captain’s son, rookie police Officer Tyron D. Franklin, earlier this week.
But as hundreds of police scoured the city for Franklin’s killer, firefighters who know his father, Larry, said they wish they could do more.
“It’s hard for us,” said Capt. Scott Parkin. “We’re like an average citizen. All we can do is hope the police get him.”
Another firefighter, Pedro Garced, said he felt “a little bit of anger” because there is only so much a firefighter can do to catch the murderer.
“We try to keep our eyes and ears open,” he said, sipping coffee from a plastic foam cup at the Getty Avenue firehouse. “It’s a tough situation.”
“We’re out of our element,” added firefighter Paul DiFalco.
Franklin, 23, was murdered by a robber at Broadway Fried Chicken early Sunday.
Larry Franklin, 55, was a career city firefighter for 14 years before becoming Paterson’s first black Fire Department captain in 1994. He retired in 2005.
His former colleagues still look up to him as “a fireman’s fireman,” and were shocked when they learned of his son’s murder.
Firehouse Chief Tony Puglia, who knew Larry Franklin throughout his career with the department, went to fire school with him at Passaic County Community College.
“He was always a gentleman,” Puglia said. “Always hardworking.”
“He was the best man at my wedding,” said Angelo Marzella, who has known Larry Franklin for 20 years. “I’ve known (Tyron) since he was a little boy. I was close with Larry and his wife, Belinda.”
Parkin said Larry did him the biggest favor a firefighter ever did when he gave up his spot at a desirable fire company so that Parkin could learn the ropes.
“He’s just an all-around good guy,” Parkin said.
All of the city’s 293 firefighters will be in full regalia to pay their respects at Tyron Franklin’s funeral Saturday at the Christ Temple Baptist Church in Paterson. Fire officials will turn out for an honor guard at the funeral.
Although they can’t help police nail the bad guy, the firefighters said they were confident that the killer would be caught.
“It might not be now, but eventually someone will crack,” firefighter Marc Roca said.
“He (Tyron Franklin) and I were about the same age,” said Herman Irving, another firefighter who was in the ambulance detail on the scene on the night of the murder. “He was just starting out in his life. Now another child will go through life without a father, and that really sucks.”