(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A beloved former member of the New York City Fire Department passed away suddenly due to a heart attack—months after the city terminated his employment to allocate funds for providing hotels and other taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal aliens.
Derek Floyd, as reported by the New York Post, succumbed on April 15, leaving behind his wife and children grieving and grappling with financial strain.
Floyd’s demise occurred months after his dismissal by the NYFD on Christmas. He was on “long term duty,” a status attributed to firefighters injured in the line of duty, as described by the Post.
His termination unfolded amid the city’s controversial strategy to finance benefits for illegal aliens, ranging from hotel accommodations and social services.
“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” remarked Floyd’s widow, reflecting on the ordeal she endured.
“I think it definitely took a toll once they let him go,” she continued, alluding to the FDNY’s decision to terminate her late husband.
“He always tried to… stay positive about it, and he wasn’t really angry. But you see a person, and the wheels are turning in their brain where they’re just constantly thinking, so I definitely think it did affect us,” she added.
Floyd, a decorated veteran who completed three tours in the Middle East, aspired to join the Fire Department in 2019 before suffering a heart attack during training.
“Being a firefighter was something he was really passionate about,” remarked widow. “He was really a big-time, like, family person, he was all about his kids.”
The widow lamented that Floyd’s dismissal left him uninsured, a benefit typically extended to public servants who risk their lives for public safety.
“If Derek would have stayed on, he would have had a life insurance policy with the FDNY,” she emphasized. “That would have helped out financially because right now, it’s really bad. I’m honestly swimming in a lot of debt.”
As reported by the Post, the city government diverted $74 million from the FDNY’s budget in 2025 to accommodate the surge of illegals immigrants in the city.
