Thomas Foley: Fame and
Firefighting
Sometimes
the spotlight lands on a New York City firefighter and
just stays there. That's what happened to Thomas Foley,
32, a member of Rescue Company 3 in the Bronx.
Two summers ago he helped rescue construction workers
dangling from a broken scaffold 12 stories above the
street. "Don't worry," he told one of them. "You'll be
going home to your family tonight." He got plenty of TV
time for that, which blossomed into bit parts in "Third
Watch" and "The Sopranos." Then he posed shirtless for
People magazine's list of 100 most eligible bachelors
last year.
"It was one of the most popular photos in that issue,"
said Carol Wallace, People's managing editor.
Mr. Foley, who lived in Nyack, N.Y., started out shy,
said Joanne Foley Gross, his sister. But as an adult, he
pursued interests like bull riding and hunting and turned
his German shorthaired pointer, Maggie, into a
field-trial champion. He was "always the life of the
party," said Danny Foley, his brother and a firefighter
with Engine Company 68.
When it came to firefighting, "he said it was the best
job in the world and he would never give it up, ever,"
remembered a cousin, Christina Cimmino. "No matter how
famous he got."
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