The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage for the family of late former FDNY firefighter Derek Floyd — in what his widow called a “miracle.”
Floyd died from a heart attack last month, leaving his wife Christine scrambling with little money to cover bills after he was fired late last year, The Post revealed over the weekend.
“When I received the phone call, I had to pull over to the side of the road because I couldn’t stop sobbing,” Christine said Friday. “This is a miracle from God in the midst of such a storm.
“I am very grateful for Frank Siller and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation for assisting my family after Derek’s passing, Derek would have been grateful and proud that his service to his country is being repaid and honored to his family,” she added.
The foundation, which was named after the path of fallen firefighter Stephen Siller took after the 9/11 attacks through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers, confirmed the donation to the Post on Friday.
“Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller spoke to Christine and let her know her mortgage would be paid in full,” read a statement from the non-profit.
The donation was hailed by Councilmember Joann Ariola (R-Queens), saying, “It’s great to see the Tunnel to Towers Foundation step up to support the family of a true American hero during their time of need.”
“The Floyds should never have been in this situation in the first place, but I am glad to see there are amazing organizations out there who will step up to the plate to make things right when the city fails,” she said. The amount of the mortgage payment wasn’t disclosed.
The Uniformed Firefighters’ Association hailed the move.
“The UFA would like to thank Frank Siller for coming to the assistance of FF Derek Floyd’s family,” said Uniformed Firefighter Association President Andrew Ansbro said in a written statement.
“The work that you do through Tunnel To Towers continues to honor your brother firefighter Stephen Siller’s legacy by being a hero to families in need.”
Floyd was let go by the department late last year along with 10 other probationary firefighters who were never able to finish the academy as the city was looking to cut costs across nearly every city agency to cover the migrant crisis.
The 38-year-old marine vet suffered a heart attack in 2019 while he was in the FDNY academy — and then worked for four and a half years in the department’s ceremonial office.
But since he never hit five years on the job, his family wasn’t eligible for survivor benefits when he passed on April 15.
Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Queens) proposed a bill in Albany on Thursday that would allow his family to be retroactively eligible for those benefits if passed.
Mayor Adams has defended the firing of the nearly a dozen probationary firefighters, saying it would misspending “taxpayers’ dollars” to keep them on the job.
“We can’t just say, ‘OK, you were brought on to be a firefighter, you don’t qualify, we’re going to hold you on the payroll anyway.’ We can’t do that,” Adams said.
The administration has pushed back Floyd’s termination being connected to a series of budget cuts after the FDNY confirmed it was part of the first round of belt-tightening last November.
Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said she was “grateful” to the nonprofit.
“The work the Foundation does is truly remarkable, and the FDNY is deeply appreciative of all the support afforded to the first responders and their families who need it,” she said.
