Bronx family grieving after off-duty FDNY firefighter killed in hit-and-run
A Bronx family is grieving and the New York City Fire Department is in mourning after the tragic death of a hero firefighter.
Matthew Goicochea, 31, was killed early Thursday in a hit-and-run on the FDR Drive while he was off-duty. Police said he failed to navigate the roadway, fell off his motorcycle, and was struck and killed by a driver, who did not stay on the scene.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Matthew Goicochea remembered as family's "light source"
"There are not words that I can explain the pain that I'm going through right now," mother Brigida Goicochea said.
"I can be a little serious, so whenever he was around, he would always make sure that I wasn't taking everything so seriously, but he also made me braver," sister Stephanie Goicochea said.
Matthew Goicochea attended Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx and loved playing soccer, his family said.
"I think we're all going to carry on constantly with him as our light source," sister Samantha Goicochea said.
"Always with a happy, smiling face. Always, always willing to help," father Robert Goicochea said.
"Don't wait for the next person to be careful, you be careful. You think about that person that's on the road, and they're trying to get to their mom or their dad," Brigida Goicochea said.
The family is now making arrangements for Matthew Goicochea's funeral.
"An exceptional firefighter" and "a loyal son"
Matthew Goicochea had been with FDNY since 2022.
"From when he was very young, he wanted to be in the FDNY," Robert Goicochea said.
"He would get excited about going into fires so that so that he could help people," Brigida Goicochea said.
In 2024, he received a medal for rescuing an unconscious fire victim.
The president of the firefighters' union, Andrew Ansbro, released a statement calling Matthew Goicochea "an exceptional firefighter and a trusted member of his company."
"He will be deeply missed by his FDNY family and all who knew him, especially the members of Ladder 41, Engine 90 of the Bronx and the Ten House. All New Yorkers share in this loss—we have lost a true hero in the prime of his life," the statement said, in part.
"New York City ... has lost a loyal son. A loyal son," Robert Goicochea said.
"When we went to the fire houses, you could tell that people were touched by him and touched by the loss," Stephanie Goicochea said.
The Bronx firehouse where Matthew Goicochea worked is now adorned by black and purple bunting.
"To have him be gone in a senseless accident, it crushes you," FDNY Captain Paul DeLeo said. "It's a couple days from now when he won't be coming to work anymore, that's when it will really sink in."
