A Ridgefield Park volunteer firefighter has been suspended after allegedly taking a firetruck on a joyride two weeks ago and striking a utility pole.
The firefighter, Connor O’Grady, allegedly took one of the firetrucks out for a ride at about 10 p.m. on July 13 with a firefighter from Bogota steering the rear of the rig, according to Mayor George Fosdick.
“When they went around a turn, they sideswiped a telephone pole,” said Fosdick, who is also the public safety commissioner. “The best way I could describe it was – they were scared to death and didn’t know what to do.”
Officials were not aware of the incident until July 22, after O’Grady came forward to his father, another firefighter. Fire Chief James VanDerTulip filed an accident report with the police and suspended Connor O’Grady for 60 days, the mayor said.