Wake held for FDNY firefighter who drowned saving daughter at Jersey Shore
The wake for Mark Batista was held at Vander Plaat Colonial Home in Fair Lawn.
A wake was held Thursday for a member of the FDNY who drowned last week while trying to save his daughter at the Jersey Shore.
The wake for Mark Batista was held at Vander Plaat Colonial Home in Fair Lawn. Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to the fallen firefighter.
Batista died on June 9 after his daughter became stuck in a rip current in the ocean off the coast of Avon by the Sea. The daughter was able to get out, but Batista struggled and drowned.
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Those who gathered Thursday remembered Batista as a family man with a good heart and as a man of God.
Batista was a member of FDNY for 15 years. He was assigned to Engine Company 226. He leaves behind a teenage daughter and two sons
A funeral for Batista will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Vander Plaat Colonial Home
