An FDNY firefighter has been indicted for stealing credit cards from a dead patient and going on a shopping spree with them, NY Post reported.
The suspect, 33-year-old Sylus McKenzie, of the Bronx, allegedly attempted to purchase AirPods at Target and several items at a Food Bazaar supermarket and Sunoco gas station, according to authorities.
The disturbing events occurred on Jan. 11, 2021, when McKenzie responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive man in Manhattan. The resident was pronounced dead at the scene, the DA said in a press release. McKenzie took the opportunity to steal the dead man’s credit cards while other first responders were sealing the home.
Prosecutors allege that McKenzie went the next morning, between 9 and 11 a.m., going to different stores attempting to use the victim’s cards. Trying to spend a total amount of $1,123.21, authorities said.
McKenzie was indicted last week on several charges including
“grand larceny, attempted identity theft, criminal impersonation, and official misconduct,”
reports reveal. He had been working for the FDNY for four years prior to his arrest.
“The defendant, a firefighter in the New York City Fire Department, allegedly stole an American Express card and a Mastercard while responding to a 911 call at the Manhattan home of a patient who died,’’
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in the statement.
“A day later, the defendant allegedly went to various stores in the Bronx and made purchases using the stolen cards… These alleged actions are reprehensible, even more so because he is a member of the city’s Bravest and violated the public trust.”
#Clique, what are your thoughts?