Wednesday, May 22, 2013
26-year old patrolman Ray Woods is among those remembered at the Bergen County Chiefs Association Blue Mass honoring police officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.
The Bergen County Police Chiefs Association will be holding its second annual Law Enforcement Blue Mass honoring those officers who have died in the line of duty at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Ridgewood Wednesday. This service will be followed by a memorial service at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute in Mahwah. New Milford lost patrolman Ray Woods in a 1972 house fire on Rhein Court that also took the life of resident Marie Cordey and critically injured firefighter Joe Costello. Police Chief Frank Papapietro, former Fire Chief Alan Silverman and Firefighter George Saigh, all young firemen the night of the fire, shared their memories with Patch. **** Despite the span of years, and the different roles each man …
Sunday, January 6, 2013
A look at last week's local stories.
The New Milford Volunteer Fire Department rang in the New Year with tradition by installing its officers for 2013. A 1972 house fire on Rhein Court took the life of 26-year old patrolman Ray Woods and 45-year old Marie Cordey; firefighter Joe Costello sustained critical injuries. As millions of Americans make resolutions to improve their lives, what could we do right here in New Milford to make it an even better place to live? There's been a lot of talk about future developments, the tax rate, the school system and more. With 2012 finished and 2013 just starting, we wanted to take a look at some of the big stories coming up this year. New Milford native Jack Antonoff, a member of the band Fun, has been nominated for a whopping six Grammy …
Saturday, January 5, 2013
A 1972 house fire on Rhein Court took the life of 26-year old patrolman Ray Woods and 45-year old Marie Cordey; firefighter Joe Costello sustained critical injuries.
Despite the span of years, and the different roles each man played that fateful morning 40 years ago, Fire Inspector Alan Silverman, Chief of Police Frank Papapietro and firefighter George Saigh recount the events of what took place with the same startling accuracy. The lines on the faces of these three men, deepening as they recall that night 40 years ago, tell the story of the gravity of what they witnessed while fighting a fatal house fire on Rhein Court that took the lives of a 26-year old police officer and a 45-year old mother, and left a veteran firefighter with critical life-altering injuries. In the early hours of a November morning in 1972, those expected to live, died; those expected to die, lived. It was a fire unlike any other…
Sean Collins
11:10 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
As an 8 year old, I still remember the massive funeral procession for Ray Woods and the grief of the community. It was a sad time. I can also recall the many times in the following years that Lou Costello provided fire safety lectures to us kids and he wasn't shy about showing us what happened to his hands. He was an amazing character. I can still picture him steering fire trucks around the … more ›