Just hours after The Post revealed that burglars broke into Nassau University Medical Center Chairman Matthew Bruderman’s home and stole documents tied to a federal corruption probe, the county’s top official abruptly fired him.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — who once appeared to be aligned with Bruderman’s claims that the hospital was robbed of more than $1 billion by state and prior county leaders since 2006 — pulled the plug on his three-year tenure late Thursday.
The county exec, who helped launch the federal investigation by meeting with FBI Director Kash Patel on Long Island in early April, declined to say what caused Bruderman’s firing, only offering him well wishes in his future endeavors.
“We thank Matt Bruderman for his service as Chairman of the Board of Nassau University Medical Center. Under his leadership, NUMC was able to reduce its deficits by significant margins and improve its ratings,” Blakeman told The Post.
Nassau’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Irina Gelman, will replace Bruderman, whose term was originally set to expire in 2027.
Blakeman praised Gelman as “a healthcare professional who’s shown the highest level of professionalism throughout her career,” and called her “uniquely qualified to lead the NUMC board as both a member and its new chair.
Bruderman, who was unpaid in his position as chairman, told The Post he was shocked by his firing and is the victim of a political scandal.
“I was told if I didn’t resign today, like a coward, I would be removed. I was told [Gov.] Kathy Hochul wanted my head for exposing the corruption and previously supporting Lee Zeldin. I was told I don’t understand how powerful these people are and the lengths they would go to hurt me. I refused to resign and they had no choice but to remove me,” Bruderman told The Post.
“I fixed the hospital and exposed corruption and people buckled under the pressure,” he added.
Hochul’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The firing came roughly four hours after The Post reported Bruderman’s Oyster Bay home had been broken into, and that the only item taken was a binder containing “sensitive” information related to the ongoing federal investigation, including documents and records tied to the financial misconduct he claims to have uncovered while reviewing hospital finances.
The binder was later recovered by Center Island police, who confirmed an active investigation is underway, but refused to release further information or say whether anyone was arrested.
Despite it all, Bruderman said he was proud of the work he accomplished while at the helm of the hospital and said he remains committed to its mission.
Under his leadership, NUMC was on track to profit roughly $11 million this year after being in the hole nearly $200 million just two years prior, according to the public corporation that runs it, NuHealth.
“I will shift my focus towards protecting the hospital, its staff and patients from afar. I will see that those responsible for corruption are held accountable and I will make sure it is there for generations to come,” Bruderman said.
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