by Eyewitness News' Charles Perez
(Corona, Queens -WABC) — Two firefighters were heading to work when they saw a man being stabbed - that's when they stopped the car and sprang into action.
Eyewitness News reporter Charles Perez is in the Corona section of Queens with the story.
According to their fellow firefighters these two went above and beyond - they did what they didn't have to do, but when I asked the two firefighters they told me when they saw a crime taking place before their eyes they had no choice but to react. They are firefighters but they're also one crime-fighting dynamic duo. Joe Tarantini, FDNY Ladder 138: "We saw a person in need and we reacted. That's all it was." Joe Tarantini and Brian Pulsch or Tower Ladder 138 in Queens were on their way to relieve fellow firefighters when they spotted a crime taking place. Mike Prior, FDNY Ladder 138: "As Joe was driving up the street he happened to witness this man pulling a knife out of a guy and Joe took action. Brian went and helped the victim and Joe went after the bad guy." Tarantini chased the suspect as Pulsch ran to the victim's rescue. Brian Pulsch, FDNY Ladder 138: "When I first saw him he was laying down. He'd fallen down and he got back up and I noticed he had some blood on his back and his leg." As Brian tried to slow the flow of blood, Joe - at more than six-feet-six inches tall - ordered the suspect to stop. Joe Tarantini, FDNY Ladder 138: "I had to raise my voice a little bit. It's like speaking to my kids. They listen when my voice gets higher. This guy did the same." The man was arrested and the victim was rushed to the hospital. These two brave firefighters call it all just a day's work. Joe Tarantini, FDNY Ladder 138: "It's not about being a hero - it's just a reaction. That's all we're doing, just trying to do the right thing." Tonight that suspect remains behind bars. The victim is in serious condition at Elmhurst Hospital and these two firefighters remain what they always were - two firefighters unwilling to call themselves heroes.
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