FDNY firefighter killed in apparent road rage incident remembered in Greenwood Heights

<p>Friends, family and co-workers of FDNY Firefighter Faizal Coto honored his memory Wednesday during his wake in Greenwood Heights.</p>

News 12 Staff

Dec 12, 2018, 11:19 PM

Updated 2,053 days ago

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Friends, family and co-workers of FDNY Firefighter Faizal Coto honored his memory Wednesday during his wake in Greenwood Heights.
Coto was killed in an apparent road rage attack early Sunday morning. Police say he was driving on the Belt Parkway when he got into a dispute with another driver. They pulled off near Exit 4. Coto's body was found next to his damaged car, with a blunt force trauma to the head.
Members of New York's Bravest lined up outside the Leone Funeral Home to pay their respects and salute him for his service. Coto was on the job for three years and assigned to Engine 245 in Coney Island.
"I just started crying and crying and crying," says Coto's former co-worker Maria Diaz. "Now I'm still crying. It was a blessing knowing him. If you knew Coto, you were blessed just knowing him. He was the nicest person in the world."
When he wasn't quenching fires, Coto explored his other passion: music. He was an aspiring rapper who went under the name Faiya, and recently expressed a desire to focus more on his music.
On Tuesday, police arrested Joseph Desmond, 29, in New Jersey. They say the suspected Latin Kings gang member was involved in Coto’s death. Police also recovered Desmond’s car Wednesday and expect he will be charged with murder.
Coto’s funeral will take place Thursday at 11 a.m.


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