On Thursday during her lunch break, a long-time employee of the New York City Fire Department’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services was fatally stabbed in an unprovoked assault, according to authorities. The police have detained a suspect.
At a news conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed that Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, a 25-year veteran of the FDNY EMS, was stabbed numerous times while on duty in Queens on Thursday afternoon.
The 61-year-old was taken to a hospital in Queens in a hurry, where, according to Adams, she passed away from her wounds.
A 34-year-old man grabbed a knife and repeatedly stabbed Russo-Elling while she was obtaining food during her break and wearing clothing that made it obvious she was an FDNY employee, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.
Two persons who are familiar with the attacker saw the assault, and one of them pursued the attacker into his third-floor apartment, where he locked himself, according to Essig. Members of the hostage negotiation team persuaded the suspect to leave the residence and then took him into custody. His identity was not immediately made public.
According to authorities, the assault is still under investigation.
Russo-Elling was a first responder at the World Trade Center on 9/11, and acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh described the assault on her as “barbaric and entirely unwarranted.”
According to her, EMS personnel are solely there to assist in and save lives of others. It is both terrible and upsetting for our department—in ways I can’t even begin to express it—to be assaulted and murdered while attempting to aid others. Lt. Russo was the epitome of FDNY EMS.
She was a first responder at the World Trade Center, worked for this city for 25 years, received several commendations for her courage and effort saving lives, and was universally adored by her coworkers.
According to Kavanagh, Russo-Elling was the second member of EMS to pass away in the line of duty in the previous five years and the 1,158th member of the FDNY to do so.
The city is mourning the death, according to Keechant L. Sewell, commissioner of the NYPD.
She said, “This stupid, fatal attack in broad daylight on a uniformed EMT member is a blatant assault on our civilization. It is the most recent repercussion of the violence that we tenaciously combat in our community.
According to the department, Russo-Elling joined the FDNY in 1998 as an EMT. In 2016, she received a promotion to lieutenant.