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Volunteer fire medic for Wantagh Fire Department says she was raped by 2 of her superiors

A letter from the department's attorneys says the two men refused to cooperate with the department's investigation. They were later removed as members of the fire department.

News 12 Staff

Jan 14, 2023, 1:29 AM

Updated 677 days ago

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A volunteer fire medic for the Wantagh Fire Department says she was raped by two of her then-superiors.
The plaintiff, a woman in her mid-20s, says she was invited to a captain's birthday party at the Wantagh firehouse in January 2022.
She says the former captain and a chief encouraged her to have alcoholic drinks and then the two repeatedly made sexual comments, calling her the captain's "birthday present."
The plaintiff alleges that after everyone left, the two men raped her.
The next day, she claims the former chief sent her a text message saying that he had fun and to keep the night between the three of them.
"These were not only her colleagues, but her superiors," says Vess Mitev, the alleged victim's attorney. "I think as many of us knew and try to play it off in the public atmosphere because you don't want to embarrass yourself and you don't want to embarrass the person that's making those comments as well. So, it's not that she had no idea. It's that no one had any idea what this night was about to turn into."
Days after the incident, Mitev says the plaintiff stopped volunteering at the fire department.
"The event was truly horrific for her to the point where obviously she had to stop doing one of the two things that she loved the most, which was working in the firehouse and helping people," Mitev says.
News 12 reached out to the fire department's attorney and has not heard back.
News 12 obtained a copy of the department's attorney's letter. It says the victim never used the words "rape" or "sexual assault" until mid-March 2022.
The letter also says the two men refused to cooperate with the department's investigation.
They were later removed as members of the fire department.
In the letter, the attorney also notes that since the men are no longer members of the fire department, they cannot take further disciplinary action against them.
There are no criminal charges at this time.
News 12 pressed the Nassau County District Attorney's Office to see if they were looking into the allegations.
A spokesperson told News 12 that they could not confirm either way if prosecutors are investigating the case.