David Martin Weiss, 41 (SNYT)
David Martin Weiss was a New York City firefighter was built like a plug. He stood 5'9" and weighed 225 lbs - all muscle. His biceps were the size of the thigh of a medium-build woman. And he was bulldozer strong, and looked as tough as he sounded, with his head shaved and his body covered with tattoos. He drove Harley Davidson motorcycles as well.
He was an ironworker before he became a firefighter 13 years ago, and blended both to become a member of the Fire Department's elite force. He joined Rescue Company 1 in Times Square about six years ago after receiving a medal for a rescue attempt: a man's car careened off the FDR Drive and plunged into the East River. Mr. Weiss, off duty, stopped his car, climbed down the iron tressles of the elevated highway, and jumped into the river to rescue the driver, whose heart had given out.
"He just jumped, knowing that he was that person's only hope," said TJ, a fellow firefighter.
Mr. Weiss, of NY, had a mean sense of humor. "If he saw a thread, he knew how to pull it to unravel the whole shirt," said another firefighter. "He was the king of that." |
