A Bronx FDNY firefighter is being indicted on a host of charges, including grand larceny and identity theft, for allegedly stealing a deceased patient’s credit cards during an EMS call in 2021.
According to the Bronx District Attorney’s office, 33-year-old Sylus McKenzie used the deceased patient’s American Express and Mastercard information in an attempt to charge up to $1,123 in expenses, including Apple AirPods, at various Bronx storefronts.
McKenzie had been an FDNY firefighter for four years when he responded to a 911 call on Jan. 11, 2021 regarding an unresponsive male in Manhattan’s Midtown East.
The male, who has not been identified, died shortly after the call.
When McKenzie left the scene, other first responders, sealing the location, noticed that multiple credit cards of the deceased male were missing from the apartment.
According to the Bronx DA’s office, on Jan. 12 — a day after the 911 response — McKenzie made several transactions at a Sunoco Gas Station, a Food Bazaar Supermarket and Target, where the AirPods were purchased.
The transactions occurred within a two-hour span between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The Bronx DA’s office estimated that $250 in merchandise went through, with transactions of up to $800, attempted.
“This City firefighter, as alleged, was entrusted to provide emergency medical attention to New Yorkers in need,” said the city’s Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber. “Instead, he used his position to steal the identity and credit cards of an individual he was called upon to help.”
McKenzie is facing two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, attempted identity theft and second-degree criminal impersonation and misconduct.
If convicted, McKenzie faces a minimum sentence of 1-3 years in prison or a maximum of 1 1/3-4 years.
McKenzie is due back in Bronx Supreme Court on Sept. 7.
