FDNY brass read the riot act to firefighters at the Midtown firehouse where an African-American rookie claimed he was hazed by naked smoke-eaters — calling the reported incident “a sexual assault” and a “cover up,” bombshell audiotapes obtained by The Post reveal.
The officers warned the members of Ladder 35/Engine 40 — nicknamed “The Cavemen” — that “if this gets out to the media, there are guys gonna lose their jobs.” One fed-up officer barked, “We’re not ‘Animal House.’?”
The closed-door meeting in the kitchen of the Lincoln Center firehouse took place on Dec. 9, 2015, about two months after probationary firefighter Gordon Springs filed federal and city complaints about his alleged sexual hazing there.