NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — When Fire Station 4 got a call to respond to an explosion on the Rainbow Bridge the day before Thanksgiving last year, the crew sprang into action despite the concerns that this may be a dangerous and developing situation.

“Our minds immediately raced to, this is an intentionally set device, a bomb of some sort,” said Captain Jason Cafarella. “And so we start talking about what we want to be prepared for, what we want to look out for.”

What You Need To Know

  • Firefighters Noah Masur, Joshua Carey, Peter DiFrancesco Jr., Luke Marin, and Captains John O’Malley, Jason Cafarella and Andrew Colangelo received the Red Cross Fire Rescue Real Hero award

  • This crew responded to the Rainbow Bridge crash the day before Thanksgiving 2023 which was originally believed to be a terror attack

  • Captain Cafarella said when he responds to dangerous situations he experiences a "tunnel vision" that keeps emotions at bay and lets him think clearly to get the job done

They arrived at the scene to see a car fully engulfed in flames. Rumors of this being a potential terror attack began spreading and the F.B.I. soon arrived at the border crossing as well.

Captain Andrew Colangelo described the moment he saw a briefcase ‘eerily’ out of place at the scene, prompting the crew to approach the situation with additional care and urgency.

“I'd like to say that it was scary, and I can speak for myself," Cafarella said. "We're just there to do a job. And so there's some level of tunnel vision that we get where they're doing what we're supposed to do at that moment."

Later that day, investigators said the incident was the result of a mechanical malfunction. A couple was heading toward the border crossing when the accelerator got stuck and the vehicle launched into the air crashing into the infrastructure. Both people in the car died. 

Cafarella said he does not consider the crew’s response a “success” in the sense that they saved any lives, but he is proud of his men for being quick and composed in the face of unknown danger. This is why the crew of Niagara Falls Fire Station 4 is the 2024 Red Cross Fire Rescue Real Hero.

The firefighters on the Niagara Falls Fire Station 4 team include Noah Masur, Joshua Carey, Peter DiFrancesco Jr., Luke Marin and Captains John O’Malley, Jason Cafarella and Andrew Colangelo.