‘This isn’t heroic’: Family lashes out after NJ firefighter crashes into family SUV, killing 24-year-old

🚨Wrong-way crash on Route 80 in Totowa killed 2 people

🚨Victim’s family says coverage is unfair

🚨Accusing media of portraying the off-duty firefighter driver as a hero

TOTOWA — The family of a woman killed in a head-on crash on Route 80 with an off-duty firefighter is upset at coverage they say puts her in a poor light.

The crash happened at 2 a.m. Jan. 5 when Joanne Furman, 60, of Norwich, Connecticut, was headed west in a Buick SUV with her daughter, Imani Furman, 24, and her 2-year-old son. Traveling in the opposite direction but on the wrong side of the road was Albin Fermin, 30, in a Honda sedan. He struck the SUV head-on near Minnisink Road in Totowa.

Furman's daughter and Fermin were killed in the crash. Joanne Furman was seriously injured while the toddler suffered injuries described as moderate.

Fermin had been a member of Newark Fire Department's Engine 10 since February 2024, according to Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda Sr.

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Family criticizes ‘hero’ portrayal of off-duty firefighter

Janice Furman, Imani's grandmother, told CBS New York that she resents that Fermin is bring portrayed as a hero.

"It wasn't my daughter's fault. It was not her fault," she said. "They're showing pictures of [Fermin], his family and the whole team of his fire department. 'We're going to miss you.' Almost like a heroic thing. This isn't heroic. He killed someone."

Captain Wayne Brooks Jr. Foundation, an organization that offers support to families affected by fire in the Newark area, offered condolences to both families.

"The Foundation extends our deepest condolences to the family and Fire Family of our brother, firefighter Albin Fermin. We also offer our heartfelt sympathies to the family of Alexis Furman of Norwich, CT. Our thoughts remain with all those still recovering from this tragic event, and we pray for healing, comfort, and strength in the days ahead. May God be with you all," they posted on their Facebook page.

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