Bravest who once saved woman in wheelchair from burning building is killed on FDR Drive

A hero city firefighter who once saved a woman in a wheelchair from a burning building was killed Thursday when he crashed his moped on the FDR Drive and was struck by a hit-and-run driver.

Matthew Goicochea, 31 – a firefighter for about three years – was riding his 2023 Yamaha cycle north on the FDR approaching East 25th Street in Manhattan when he suddenly lost control and fell off the bike as it dropped to the ground, cops said. 

Another passing vehicle struck Goicochea as he lay on the pavement, and the motorist drove off without stopping, police said. 

Goicochea was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The driver has not been caught. 

“The FDNY mourns the loss of Firefighter Matthew Goicochea, who tragically passed away early Thursday morning,” the department said in a statement.

“Goicochea was riding his motorcycle on the FDR drive when he collided with another vehicle.

“He joined the Department in September of 2022, and was a recipient of the Thomas Wylie Medal in 2024 for rescuing an unconscious victim from a fire in the Bronx,” the FDNY added.

That blaze broke out around 1:15 a.m. Aug. 14, 2023, inside a building in the Morris Park section of The Bronx.

The FDNY said that despite the “blinding visibility,” Goicochea encountered the victim “in a rear bedroom.

“Realizing the victim was entangled in a wheelchair, FF Goicochea worked quickly to begin removing the victim,” the department wrote in its 2024 Medal Day booklet.

“With conditions in the fire apartment rapidly worsening and no hoseline yet in place, FF Goicochea made his move past the now-extending fire while shielding the victim with his body.”

The department commended Goicochea for his “quick and decisive actions [that] led to the rescue” – all while putting himself “at great personal risk.”