Fire chief suspended after shouting expletives at girl, 10, on stretcher: ‘SHUT THE F--- UP!’
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A fire chief in New York has been stripped of his duties after he yelled at a 10-year-old girl on a stretcher to “shut the f— up” as she was being loaded into a fire truck.
Peter Alt, chief of the North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company, was captured on video on Monday that has since gone viral, berating and hurling obscenities at the girl outside her Long Island home.
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“Shut the f— up! It’s like this with you every f—ing week!” he is seen shouting at the child in the cellphone footage captured by a concerned neighbour, WNBC reported.
The video, which has garnered more the 4.7 views on TikTok, shows the sobbing girl as she pleads with the fire department.
“I don’t want to go!,” she screams. “I want to go home,” to which Alt responds, “Shut your mouth!”
The incident came after the girl’s family called emergency services for help with calming the child down, her grandmother told the outlet.
The girl was said to have become emotionally overwhelmed after her phone was taken away, so another family member called the police, who had been understanding in the past.
The child’s grandmother, who asked not to be named, said she was not there when the incident took place but she was “devastated” by how the Alt handled her granddaughter.
“Maybe it was a blessing I wasn’t there because I would have jumped all over this guy,” she told the outlet.
“When you call for help — the police, the fire department — they’re supposed to help you. Not treat you like garbage. And curse at a child at that.”
The girl’s mother, who called the authorities, agreed that the first responder “failed” her daughter.
“He was supposed to protect her and help her, not verbally abuse her,” the mom, who wished to remain anonymous, told Newsday.
She now fears her daughter will “lose faith” in the police and fire departments and has been left “scared” over the incident.
The mom added: “He failed her. At no point should a child or human be spoken to like that ever.”
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The North Babylon Fire Company issued a response soon after, condemning Alt’s “unacceptable” behaviour and saying they don’t condone it.
“We have become aware of an incident which occurred last night, August 4, 2025 between a member of the North Babylon Fire Company and a minor during an aided call wherein the member is alleged to have used inappropriate language toward the minor,” the statement from the fire company’s executive board read.
According to the press release, Alt was “relieved of all of his duties pending a full and thorough investigation,” and the fire company vowed that “appropriate action will be taken.”
Officers with the Suffolk County Police Department were also on scene during Monday’s incident.
They reported the incident to their supervisor, and internal affairs also notified the Town of Babylon, according to a statement obtained by Newsday.
The grandmother said the girl has since isolated herself at home and “didn’t want to go to school.”
She told the outlet: “She has anxiety. She will need therapy.”
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