Street renamed in Queens in honor of fallen firefighter killed in Brooklyn
BELLE HARBOR, New York (WABC) -- Family, friends and officials gathered in Queens on Wednesday morning to honor and memorialize a fallen firefighter.
The ceremony took place at the corner of Beach 129th Street and Newport Avenue in Belle Harbor to rename a portion of it after Firefighter Timothy Klein.
Klein died while battling a fire in Canarsie, Brooklyn, in April of 2022. The Queens native was 31 years old and a six-year veteran of the FDNY when he lost his life.
"Fittingly, 129th Street, which is the core of Rockaway, will forever proudly display Timmy's name, someone we all keep at the center of our hearts," friend Vinny Geary said. "We won't just remember the heroic firefighter, but we will always remember Timmy Klein as the considerate, genuine, sincere person that he was. Always there to help his family, friends and countless others in times of need."
His family -- parents Didi and Pat and sisters Bridget, Tara, and Erin -- were there to salute him with love and humor.
"Tim the eldest of four, and the only boy, and whether she admits it or not, my mom's favorite, always did get his way," his sister Erin Klein said.
FDNY officials were also there to honor Klein.
"He sacrificed everything for the city he loved, for the family he loved, for the fire department he loved and that's an inspiration, I know for me every day, and I think when I look around, that it's an inspiration for everybody here too," FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.
His family believes that renaming the street ensures that people in the area will always remember him as a hero in his own neighborhood.
"A Canarsie kid, he was an officer's dream, we love Timmy and Canarsie and he was loved in the Rockaways," said Capt. Mark Schweighardt.
His sister said that Klein loved that block and grew up on it, so for it to bear his name is an honor.
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