A veteran firefighter in a small northeastern New York community near the Vermont border died on Independence Day after falling ill during a parade.
The U.S. Fire Administration on Thursday announced the line-of-duty death of Hague Volunteer Fire Department Lt. Michael F. Cherubini, who was riding on a brush truck in a parade on the Fourth of July in a neighboring town when he fell ill.
Cherubini's wife, who is also a member of the Hague department, was the driver of the apparatus and immediately drove home with her 71-year-old husband, who collapsed soon after his wife helped him inside their home.
Although the USFA says Cherubini served for 10 years with the Hague Fire Department, an obituary says the New Jersey native spent 50 years as a volunteer firefighter with most of that time in Hackensack and South Hackensack where he served as both a captain and chief.
A U.S. Army veteran who fought in the Vietnam War, Cherubini is survived by his wife of 39 years, Maureen, five sons and eight grandchildren.