Tunnel to Towers Foundation pays off mortgage of fallen Binghamton firefighter JR Gaudet
Gaudet, 40, was killed in the line of duty on Feb. 12 after responding to a major fire on Main Street in Binghamton.
The fire, which was ultimately ruled arson, led to the March arrest of 36-year-old Patrick K. Shea after the Binghamton Police Detective Bureau determined there was "human involvement" in the blaze.
While crews battled the blaze on the night of Feb. 12, a wall collapsed, trapping Gaudet beneath the debris. He was extricated from the rubble but later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Gaudet was survived by his wife, Felly Gaudet, and their three young children.
On July 2, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was created in the wake of 9/11, announced that the organization has paid off Gaudet's family home through its Fallen First Responders Home Program.
The program is designed to pay off the mortgages "for the families of law enforcement officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty or pass away from 9/11-related illnesses and leave behind young children."
"The goal is to provide stability following the sudden and tragic loss of a loved one," the organization stated in a release. "The foundation ensures the family of these fallen heroes can stay in their home, school, and community, without the financial burden of a mortgage."
More: Binghamton firefighter died when wall collapsed at fire scene. What to know about case
Gaudet's mortgage is one of 25 nationwide the foundation is paying off this July 4.
"Firefighter John Gaudet lost his life battling a fire, confronting the danger and the risk head-on, with the same determination he had every day and working every call for help," said Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. "Tunnel to Towers Foundation is honored to ensure the family can stay in their home in the community he worked tirelessly to protect."
Gaudet was a Binghamton native who attended Binghamton High School, Binghamton University, and SUNY Cortland, where he played lacrosse and later returned as a coach.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Tunnel to Towers Foundation pays off mortgage of John 'JR' Gaudet
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Senate Trump assassination report details Secret Service failures
Senate Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul released a final report Sunday on the committee's findings from its investigation into the assassination attempt by Thomas Crooks targeting then-candidate Donald Trump, marking one year since the events in Butler, Pennsylvania. The report has few new details and is largely a rehashing of information that was already known about the shooting. It largely mirrors a preliminary report on the investigation put forward by then-committee Chairman Gary Peters in September 2024. The report outlines what Paul calls 'stunning failures by the United States Secret Service that allowed then-former President Donald J. Trump to be shot on July 13, 2024.' MORE: A year after Trump rally shooting: Remembering a fallen hero and reckoning with a security breakdown 'The truth is, President Trump, and the nation, was fortunate. The once-again President survived despite being shot in the head. Since that day, there has been another attempt on his life and further threats to do him harm, including most recently a renewed threat from Iran. This report reveals a disturbing pattern of communication failures and negligence that culminated in a preventable tragedy. What happened was inexcusable and the consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation,' Paul's report says. The report stems from the committee's bipartisan investigation launched shortly after the attack on July 13, 2024. It is based on 75,000 pages of document produced to the committee, according to the report. The report's findings highlight many that have already been reported about the attempted shooting of Trump, including what it describes as 'unacceptable failures' in planning and execution of the Butler rally. In particular, it highlights, as previously reported, communication failures that led to vulnerabilities on the day. It focuses on a previously reported breakdown of communications between local law enforcement and the USSS. MORE: Secret Service details changes since Trump assassination attempt The report notes instances leading up to the Butler rally in which the Secret Service headquarters denied or left unfulfilled requests for additional resources to support Trump during the campaign. They highlight an instance in which a request for countersnipers at a rally in South Carolina went unfulfilled, though there were countersnipers at the Butler rally. It also highlights that lack of countersnipers at Trump's July 9, 2024, rally in Doral even after a briefing the day before from the USSS Protective Intelligence Division led to the July 9 determination by USSS that counter snipers should be present at all of Trump's outdoor rallies due to intelligence reflecting increased risks at outdoor events. The report also highlights other instances of other resources, such as Counter Assault Teams and drones, being denied for various Trump events in 2024. The report argues there has been 'insufficient accountability' for USSS officials involved in the incident. Paul, according to the report, subpoenaed USSS for records related to the 'disciplinary actions' taken against personnel involved in planning the Butler rally earlier this month. The produced documents revealed that six individuals have faced disciplinary action, and the report argues that the penalties received were 'too weak to match the severity of the failures'. Paul also says that Kimberley Cheatle, the former USSS director, made false statements when testifying before Congress following the attack. Cheatle told the committee that there were 'no requests that were denied' for the Butler rally, but the committee found evidence of 'at least two instances of assets being denied by the USSS headquarters' related to the Butler rally. The report asserts that former Acting Director Ronald Rowe's testimony was also 'misleading.'
CNN
38 minutes ago
- CNN
Browns rookie RB Quinshon Judkins arrested on battery and domestic violence charge
Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was arrested Saturday night in Florida on a charge of battery and domestic violence. According Broward County arrest records, Judkins was jailed overnight and was awaiting his first court appearance. The charge is described in the arrest report as 'touch or strike/battery/domestic violence.' The charge is a misdemeanor. The records do not indicate if Judkins has an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A Browns spokesman said the team is aware of the incident and gathering more information. CNN has reached out to Judkins' representation for comment. The 21-year-old Judkins was the 36th overall pick in the April draft after rushing for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns at Ohio State last season. The Browns drafted Judkins in the hopes that he could become the team's lead running back after Nick Chubb signed with the Houston Texans. Cleveland also drafted Dylan Sampson in the fourth round. Judkins is the only member of the Browns' seven-player draft class who has not signed his rookie contract. Cleveland's rookies are scheduled to report to training camp on Friday.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shots fired in Bensalem's Neshaminy Valley on Saturday night. What happened
Bensalem police are investigating a shooting Saturday night at an apartment complex in the Neshaminy Valley section of the township. No one was injured in the shooting in the 1000 block of Neshaminy Valley Drive shortly after 9 p.m., where one of the people involved lived, Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey said on Sunday. Two male family members were involved in a physical fight when one pulled out a firearm and fired multiple shots, McVey said. Both the suspect and the victim then fled the scene. What we know about Middletown shooting Shooting in Levittown's Quincy Hollow leaves 1 dead, 2 injured. What happened in Middletown Police recovered the suspect's car abandoned in Northeast Philadelphia and they were in the process of obtaining a search warrant, McVey said. The weapon has not been recovered. No arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon. Both the victim and suspect are not cooperating with police, McVey added. Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bensalem police investigating shooting on Neshaminy Valley Drive
