A MAG-NIFICENT LIFE
City EMT & muscle car lover, 59, dies of 9-11 related illness
A beloved FDNY emergency medical technician who was as strong as the muscle cars he adored died early Friday following a long battle with a 9/11-related illness, friends and family members said.
EMT Joseph Rodriguez succumbed to lung cancer at a Melville, L.I., hospice facility Friday morning. He was 59 years old.
“We're trying to hold up as best we can, but I'm tired,” Rodriguez's despondent widow Jeannie told the Daily News Friday, breaking down in tears as she talked about her husband. “He was in a lot of pain. He suffered right up to the end.”
Despite the pain he endured, Rodriguez was a staple of the Legendary Muscle Cars Auto Club, a group of car buffs who show off their prized vehicles throughout the city and Long Island.
Rodriguez won a number of trophies with his 2010 Dodge Challenger — and was nicknamed “Joey Challenger” for his success, longtime friend and FDNY Community Liaison Richard Velez said.
“He knew it was coming, but he was fighting it all the way,” Velez said about Rodriguez's death. “He didn't want to go to hospice, but his wife took him over there because she needed the help.”
After serving 28 years as an EMT, Rodriguez retired in 2016. For most of his career he was assigned to EMS Station 58 in Canarsie, Brooklyn.
When terrorists flew two jets into the World Trade Center, he raced to Ground Zero and spent hours there assisting in rescue and recovery efforts.
Friends said Rodriguez had battled one 9/11 illness after another over the years — the latest being lung cancer from the toxins kicked up after the World Trade Center crumbled to the ground, they said.
“He never regretted being out there, even though he got sick and everything,” his wife explained.
Rodriguez saved countless lives over the course of his career. Among them, fellow car aficionado Ken Taskent.
Taskent suffered a heart attack behind the wheel of a Silver Edition Trans Am at Brooklyn's Caesar's Bay Shopping Center on April 28, 2017.
Although he had been retired for more than a year, Rodriguez jumped into action. He grabbed a portable defibrillator and other lifesaving equipment from his trunk and got to work.
“I got a text from the car club this morning (that he had died),” Taskent, 52, said somberly Friday. “As soon as I saw the message I broke down in tears.”
“This guy...he saved my life,” Taskent said. “I wish I could've done something for him.”
Despite his grim prognosis, Rodriguez was a regular on the car show circuit until the end of the summer, when he became too sick to show up.
“He had a heart of gold,” club founder John Diaz said. “Even with the chemo treatments and came out and supported us.”
“He was like Superman,” Diaz said. “He is definitely going to be missed. He was one of our most loved and dedicated members.”
In his final months, Rodriguez was able to accomplish a lifelong dream — to become the proud owner of a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport. The muscle car was white with a black stripe running down its sides and had a black top, friends said. The EMT had it shipped to Farmingdale from Florida, where the pristine classic car was found.
“That was his dream car,” Jeannie said. “He had just got it. He was so happy with that car. He told me if I ever sell it I had to sell it to one of the families from the club. The club was like family to him.”
Legendary Muscle Cars Auto Club members plan to honor Rodriguez one more time by bringing their classic cars to his funeral — which has yet to be set.
Rodriguez is survived by his wife, several nieces and nephews, and a host of close friends he considered family.
He is the second FDNY EMT to die of a 9/11 cancer this week. Retired FDNY Paramedic Martha Stewart lost her life before the Thanksgiving holiday, EMS Union President Oren Barzilay said.
“Both these members were loved by all they touched,” Barzilay said. “Although Sept. 11 occurred 17 years ago, it still haunts us today. While we pray and hope that this will be the last, The sad reality is, who's next?”
More than 180 FDNY employees have died of World Trade Center-related illnesses since 9/11, when 343 members of the department were killed.