PORT JERVIS – The death of a Port Jervis volunteer firefighter who was run over by a Port Jervis ambulance that was leaving its bay early Sunday morning appears to have been accidental, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said Monday.
Nicholas McKeon, 22, was apparently sleeping in front of the garage door before 6 a.m. and when the emergency vehicle left its bay, that is when the tragedy occurred, said Hoovler.
“Looking at the scene and looking at the facts, it’s almost impossible to see someone laying in front of the ambulance from that position due to the fact that the ambulance is an elevated position,” Hoovler said. “At this time, the investigation is still pending, awaiting some toxicology reports and some further investigation, but to this point, it appears to be an accident.”
Mayor Kelly Decker, who is a school teacher, remembered McKeon during Monday night’s Port Jervis Common Council meeting.
“I had him in DARE many years ago. A really, really polite, good kid, a public servant, giving of his time to be a volunteer in our Port Jervis Fire Department, very involved. My prayers are with Nick’s family,” the mayor said.
It was unclear as to why McKeon was sleeping in front of the garage door.
