Cover-Up Claimed: Family Sues Fire Department After Fatal SUV Collision

A lawsuit has been filed by the estate of Theresa Vazquez, a Medford woman who allegedly suffered severe injuries after being hit by an SUV in the Farmingville Fire Department's parking lot last year. The complaint, lodged in Suffolk County Supreme Court, accuses Farmingville Fire Department officials of altering surveillance video of the incident to evade responsibility and conceal the identity of the driver, believed to be a high-ranking fire official. Attorney Charles S. Gucciardo, representing Vazquez's estate, stated that the video alterations are part of a broader cover-up designed to shield the unidentified driver from accountability.

According to the lawsuit, the Farmingville Fire Department, through its employees and agents, "tampered with, edited, altered, redacted and/or concealed the video." Furthermore, fire officials and Suffolk police are alleged to have falsely claimed that Vazquez, 75, sustained a broken arm and rib, along with shoulder and head injuries, after she tripped while attempting to avoid the SUV. This contradicts the estate's assertion that she was actually struck by the vehicle.

The incident occurred on April 9, 2025, when Vazquez parked her car in the rear lot of the fire department to attend bingo. Surveillance video, which Gucciardo submitted to the court, shows a blue SUV backing out of a spot reserved for chiefs and commissioners, moving into Vazquez's path. Seconds later, Vazquez was on the ground with her injuries. The video obtained by Gucciardo from fire officials is reportedly choppy, freezing at various points, and notably contains a four-minute gap that Gucciardo believes was an attempt to hide the driver's identity. The driver allegedly left the scene without identifying himself or exchanging insurance information, which is a violation of New York State law when someone is injured.

A critical aspect of the complaint is the delayed provision of the security video. While New York law requires a notice of claim against government agencies within 90 days of an incident, allowing for investigation, Farmingville fire officials did not provide the video until two months after this deadline. Gucciardo emphasized that the continued "shell game" regarding the driver's identity speaks volumes about the lack of integrity of those involved, transforming what might have been a negligent act into an intentional one.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages and names several defendants: the Farmingville Fire Department, Chief Vincent J. Purpi, and commissioners George Munoz, Robert Wallace, Edward Stewart III, and John Caputo. Suffolk police and individual officers, including Eric Kennedy and Mateo Puentes, are also named, accused of parroting the fire department’s claims that Vazquez tripped and failing to properly investigate. The Suffolk Department of Public Works is additionally listed as a defendant, as it reportedly owned the SUV. Farmingville fire officials, Suffolk police, and a spokesperson for Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine all declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Theresa Vazquez, a part-time supermarket employee, spent several months in a rehabilitation center following the incident. She tragically died at the age of 75 from cancer six months after her injuries, a condition unrelated to the incident itself, but which complicated efforts to pursue the investigation further. Gucciardo's attempts to contact the Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s Office were met with no response, though he was later contacted by an investigator from the police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.