By Frank Donnelly
Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Criminal charges against a firefighter who allegedly threatened to “kill” colleagues he claimed had mistreated him over his religious faith will be dropped in six months if he stays out of trouble and continues mental-health treatment.
Raheem Hassan‘s case was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal during his appearance Wednesday in Criminal Court.
Hassan, 30, a Staten Island resident, was arrested on Dec. 27 and accused of making a threatening call to his supervising officer at a Dongan Hills home on Dec. 20, said a criminal complaint.
“This is Hassan. I’m going to kill the guys in the firehouse,” the suspect said, according to the complaint.
Hassan worked for the officer for about four years, and the supervisor recognized his voice, the complaint said.
Hassan was charged with a misdemeanor count of aggravated harassment, which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail on a trial conviction.
Public records indicate Hassan lives in Willowbrook.
The firefighter was assigned to Engine 309/Ladder 159 on E. 48th Street in Brooklyn, which, at the time, was allegedly being investigated for hazing, bullying, threats and sexual misconduct, according to the New York Daily News.
Hassan, a Muslim, reported that his fellow firefighters were tormenting him over his religious beliefs, the News said.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro transferred six fire officers and two firefighters out of that firehouse, said published reports.
However, the president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association said the officers hadn’t been disciplined, and were merely removed “to expedite the investigation,” said a report in the New York Post.
In an e-mail on Wednesday, a Fire Department spokesman said an “outside agency” is handling the probe and declined further comment.
At Thursday’s court proceeding, Judge Alan J. Meyer adjourned the case to Aug. 27.
The harassment charge will be dismissed on that date if Hassan continues with the mental-health treatment he is receiving through the Fire Department and also stays out of trouble, said prosecutors.
Hassan has not been suspended over his arrest, the FDNY spokesman said.
Copyright 2018 Staten Island Advance