Saucedo, Gregory

Gregory Saucedo, Lad.5 GREENSTREET Firefighter Gregory T. Saucedo Triangle This triangle honors Firefighter Gregory T. Saucedo (1969-2001) who lived his entire life in this neighborhood, served 11 years in the Fire Department, and died while working to help people escape the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. During his youth, Saucedo, his three older brothers, his cousins, and his friends who played here referred to this space simply as “The Triangle.” Saucedo waved to firemen riding on their long trucks as they passed this intersection. He attended P.S. 236, Roy H. Mann, and South Shore High School. As captain of the football team he developed an interest in fitness, especially weight lifting. Although he earned a degree in Education from Brooklyn College, Saucedo and three of his childhood friends decided to become Firefighters together. At the Fire Academy, Saucedo set a class record for push-ups: 105 in 60 seconds. In June of 1991 Firefighter Saucedo began his seven years of service with Engine 321 in nearby Marine Park. Working close to home enabled Saucedo to maintain close ties to the community in his professional, as well as personal, life. More than once Engine 321 responded to an emergency at one of his neighbor’s homes. On his block Saucedo was well respected as someone to call on, whether for help fixing a car or shoveling snow. In the fall of 1998 Gregory Saucedo transferred to Ladder 5 in the heart of Greenwich Village. Upon his 10th year of service, he began studying for the Lieutenant’s exam. Firefighter Saucedo was last seen climbing the stairs of One World Trade Center, boldly bounding towards the fire, striving to save lives. He died along with hundreds of his fellow emergency service workers and thousands of civilians who perished in the collapse. Saucedo’s older brother Stephen, who joined the Fire Department himself in February 2000, and the three childhood friends who entered the Academy with Saucedo were among the hundreds of people who searched for remains at Ground Zero. Nothing but Saucedo’s flashlight was ever found. In 2002, Local Law 28 named this space for Saucedo. Bound by Fillmore Avenue, Avenue T, and East 57th Street, it is one of the thousands of properties throughout the city called Greenstreets, which belong to the Department of Transportation and are beautified by the Department of Parks. This triangle alone stands in testament to the life of Firefighter Gregory Saucedo.