STORM WATCH

Morning snow followed by deep cold in New Jersey

Firefighter?s funeral draws thousands of mourners to Ramsey

Thousands of firefighters made their way to Ramsey Friday to pay final respects to a fellow firefighter who died in a Bronx blaze.Rows of men and women wearing dress blues lined Wyckoff Avenue to bid

News 12 Staff

Sep 1, 2006, 7:19 PM

Updated 6,685 days ago

Share:

Thousands of firefighters made their way to Ramsey Friday to pay final respects to a fellow firefighter who died in a Bronx blaze.Rows of men and women wearing dress blues lined Wyckoff Avenue to bid farewell to Michael Reilly, 25, a man who they say was part of the first responder brotherhood. Bagpipes echoed across the town, where Reilly first started his career as a volunteer with the Ramsey rescue squad. Also on hand were Reilly?s fellow Marine reservists. Reilly served in Iraq before returning to take a job with the New York City Fire Department. Friends say joining the department was his lifelong dream.Reilly died battling a three-alarm fire Sunday. The floor of a 99-cent store gave way beneath him. He was buried under burning debris along with 43-year-old Lt. Howard Carpluk Jr., who also died. Reilly had been on the job for less than two months.