Rochester fire captain accused of forcing firefighters to attend racist party retires

One of the firefighters is suing Rochester for $4 million.

August 16, 2022, 9:06 PM

A captain of the Rochester Fire Department who was accused of taking firefighters to a party filled with racist tropes has retired.

Following an investigation by the City of Rochester, Capt. Jeffrey Krywy was forced to leave the department by the city, Mayor Malik Evans announced Tuesday, according to ABC News Rochester affiliate WHAM.

"As of Monday, he has chosen to retire before termination proceedings begin," Evans said in a statement to WHAM.

Last week, Jerrod Jones sued the City of Rochester and Rochester Fire Department, accusing Krywy of forcing him and two other firefighters to attend a private party on July 7.

According to the lawsuit, Jones said that when he arrived at the party, he saw a large cut-out of former President Donald Trump and buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken next to Juneteenth flags.

Jones alleged that the Mary Znidarsic-Nicosia, who owned the home where the party was being held, approached him and asked if he wanted to take home the fried chicken.

Firefighter Jerrod Jones speaks during a press conference in Rochester, New York, Aug. 11, 2022.
WHAM

He also claims that there was an entertainer at the party impersonating Democratic Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart and there was a senior member of the Rochester Police officer at the party.

Nate McMurray, Jones’ lawyer, took to Twitter on Tuesday, criticizing the incident, saying that an independent investigation hasn’t happened yet.

McMurray also criticized Krywy’s retirement because he presumably retired with his full pension.

McMurray did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Jones said that he told acting Battalion Chief George Smith about the incident and Krywy’s involvement and was told it’d be looked into but was assigned to work with Krywy during his following shift, court documents show.

Jones claimed he’s suffering emotional distress, fears that he will be retaliated against by Krywy and others and is currently on leave from the RFD, according to the lawsuit.

He is suing for $4 million in damages.

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