FDNY Firefighter Killed in Road Rage to Be Laid to Rest

What to Know

• An off-duty firefighter who was found lying on the shoulder of a New York City highway with head trauma has died[hhmc]

• Faizal Coto, 33, was found lying next to a vehicle on the shoulder of the Belt Parkway early Sunday morning[hhmc]

• Coto was taken to Coney Island Hospital with head trauma, where he was pronounced dead; a Latin Kings member has been arrested in his death[hhmc]

The FDNY firefighter allegedly killed by a road rage suspect will be laid to rest at his funeral on Thursday.

The wake for 33-year-old Faizal Coto was held Wednesday at XXXX. His funeral will be held at Leone Funeral Home in Brooklyn at 11 a.m. Family members, friends and members of the FDNY are expected to say their final goodbyes.

Coto was found dead, lying on the shoulder of Belt Parkway, near Bay 8th Street and Shore Parkway in Bath Beach, with head trauma early Sunday. Police said he was the victim of road rage.

Two vehicles had collided as they merged onto the parkway, police said.

Off-Duty Firefighter Dies in Possible Road Rage Case: Police

When officers got to the scene, they Coto lying next to a 2008 Ford Mustang parked on the right shoulder of the highway. The other vehicle had left.

Police believe Coto got out of his car to talk to another driver after the fender bender, then that driver struck him in the head with an unknown object.

The suspect, 29-year-old Joseph Desmond, is a Latin Kings member who served time in prison for a hate-crime assault, the NYPD said. He was arrested at a New Jersey motel on Monday.

Coto had been with the FDNY for three years, the department said. He was assigned to a Coney Island engine company.

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USA Today

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