by CYNTHIA R. FAGEN
The developer of the ill-fated Midtown skyscraper is a Brooklyn-born retired firefighter.
Cited thrice for bravery in the line of duty, James Kennelly, 45, also built a successful second career as a real-estate mogul and even worked with The Trump Management Co.
Just last month, his Kennelly Development Co. took out a $70 million mortgage from Arbor Realty Funding toward the 44-story high rise.
"There are no words to describe the level of devastation we feel today as a result of this tragic event," Kennelly stated.
In 2001, he was awarded a medal for bravery after plucking two unconscious people from an apartment fire on East 72nd Street.
In 1997, Kennelly rescued a construction worker dangling off the 59th Street Bridge after scaffolding collapsed. In the same year, he saved five drowning people from the bottom of Coney Island Creek.
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