A New York City firefighter died of a heart attack just months after being fired as part of Mayor Eric Adams’ budget cuts to create funding for the city’s migrant crisis, leaving his family left to struggle financially and without insurance.
Derek Floyd, 36, suffered cardiac arrest and passed away April 15, the New York Post reported Sunday. He left behind a wife and two young children.
The outlet added that Floyd was just shy of vesting additional medical benefits for his family and more than $600,000 worth of death benefits when he was fired.
Instead, his family was left with nothing for Floyd’s years of service.
“If Derek would have stayed on, he would have had a life insurance policy with the FDNY,” Floyd’s widow Cristine, 34, told the Post. “That would have helped out financially because right now, it’s really bad. I’m honestly swimming in a lot of debt.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for people to donate and help the family.