NYC firefighter remembered in coastal towns Eastport, Southwest Harbor hold vigil, benefit in show of support

EASTPORT – People here and in Southwest Harbor on Saturday night, described New York firefighter Angel Juarbe as a hero.

Juarbe, who won $250,000 for his participation in “Murder in Small Town X,” which was filmed in Eastport, is among those missing in the rubble of the World Trade Center. The firefighter was among 10 ordinary people brought in to investigate a murder on the Fox television show.

The 35-year-old fireman and other firefighters from Ladder 12 in Chelsea, N.Y., were some of the first to arrive at the World Trade Center just minutes after the attack, said City Manager George “Bud” Finch.

A vigil was held for Juarbe in Eastport, while in Southwest Harbor people held a benefit dinner.

Finch read from a letter from David Parks, co-producer of the TV program, “Murder in Small Town X,” which aired this summer.

After helping many thousands of people escape from the World Trade Center, Juarbe and other firefighters began evacuating the Marriott Hotel, which was located between the twin towers.

“Even after the first building collapsed, Angel and his company continued to search the hotel for victims,” Finch read. “Finally, they received the signal to evacuate the building themselves and they descended to the seventh floor where they found their pathway blocked.”

Juarbe volunteered to climb back to the 15th floor where there were escape ropes that would have allowed the firefighters to rappel out of the seventh floor window to safety.

“While climbing back up to retrieve these ropes with one other firefighter, the second tower collapsed and with it, part of the Marriott hotel. In all, five members of Ladder 12 are missing,” Finch read.

On Sept. 11, two commercial airliners slammed into the twin towers causing them to burst into flames. In less than an hour, both towers collapsed, trapping more than 6,000 people inside. During the first day of the rescue effort, people were found alive. But for the past week, it has been a grim recovery effort.

Juarbe’s family said they remained hopeful that the firefighter would be found alive.

Juarbe may be missing, but people in these two seaside communities, who came to know the affable young man, have not forgotten him. In Southwest Harbor they raised $4,200 for the New York Firefighters Fund. And in Eastport more than $1,000 was collected to benefit the families of Juarbe and the other eight firefighters who are missing with him.

Lt. Thom Willey of the Southwest Harbor Fire Department, who was a member of the camera crew that filmed “Murder in Small Town X,” said he had lost a new friend. The reality-based series was a takeoff on shows such as “Survivor.” In it, the 10 contestants, including Juarbe, were charged with the task of solving a murder mystery.

Willey said that because he and Juarbe were both firefighters, they connected.

“It’s like a brotherhood, it doesn’t matter where you’re from,” he said.

After the show wrapped up, the two men exchanged patches and sweatshirts from their respective fire stations.

“He invited me down to his Ladder 12 station in the city. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it before the attack. I had asked Angel to appear at our Halloween Hayride benefit, but for now the reality is just really sinking in,” Willey said.

John Miller, who helped organize the event in Eastport, said he was pleased that more than 1,000 people attended the vigil.

“We are joined here this evening by our friends, neighbors and family members who all are volunteer firemen. And they risk their lives every time they go into a burning building. So this ceremony is as much about honoring your neighbors, friends and family as it is honoring Angel Juarbe,” he said.

Although he was only a spectator at the vigil, former locksmith Al Weickers of Pembroke, explained why he attended.

“I taught him to pick locks for the movie,” Weickers said, explaining it was part of the plot.

“He had to pick some locks to get into buildings for clues,” he said. “He was a real great guy and he made me feel like I was the star, rather than him, because I was teaching him something he did not know.”