The man arrested for the murder of FDNY first responder Yadira Arroyo in Soundview six years ago was found guilty in Bronx Supreme Court yesterday, according to the District Attorney’s office.
Jose Gonzalez, 31, was convicted of first-degree murder after nearly a month-long jury trial.
“The road to justice for Yadi was tortuous; this case was delayed because of numerous hearings regarding the defendant’s fitness to stand trial, but her family and FDNY colleagues were patient and steadfast from the beginning until today’s verdict,” District Attorney Darcel Clark said.
The investigation states that on the evening of March 16, 2017, Gonzalez grabbed onto the back of Arroyo’s ambulance and rode on it, then hopped off and stole a backpack from a passerby. The person who was robbed flagged down Arroyo, who got out of the vehicle to speak to Gonzalez. The defendant then jumped into the driver’s seat of the ambulance and both Arroyo and her partner told him to exit the vehicle. Gonzalez then put the ambulance in reverse, striking Arroyo, then drove forward while she was pinned under the vehicle.
An off duty MTA police officer nearby saw the incident and handcuffed Gonzalez, a Fordham Heights resident, as he tried to run away after he had crashed the ambulance into a snowbank and tried to escape.
Arroyo, a mother of five and a 14-year veteran EMT, suffered multiple injuries and was later pronounced dead at Jacobi Medical Center.
“I thank the witnesses, who saw Yadi in her final moments, for their testimonies during the trial,” Clark said. “Yadi lives on in the legacy of her children, and in the countless New Yorkers she assisted in their time of need.”
The FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) — a nonprofit organization that advocates for the health and safety of firefighters, fire marshals, marine engineers, pilots and wipers of the FDNY — stated their support of the verdict on Twitter yesterday.
“On behalf of the UFA, we…
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