The mother of the emotionally distressed 10-year-old girl, whom a Long Island fire chief told to “shut the f–k up” as she was loaded into an ambulance, says the first responder “failed” her daughter.
North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company Chief Peter Alt sparked outrage when he was captured in a now-viral video berating the upset child during an emergency call in West Babylon.
“He was supposed to protect her and help her, not verbally abuse her,” the girl’s mother, who wished not to be named, told Newsday on Wednesday.
The mother fears her daughter will now “lose faith” in the police and fire departments and has been left “scared” over the incident.
“He failed her,” she said. “At no point should a child or human be spoken to like that ever.”
The fire chief was heard shouting, “Shut the f–k up! It’s like this with you every f–king week!” at the girl, who was crying, “I don’t want to go! I want to go home!” while being loaded into an ambulance.
“Shut your mouth!” Alt angrily replies as the ambulance doors closed.
Alt, a 22-year veteran with the company, was stripped of his duties on August 5 while an investigation was launched, the North Babylon Fire Company said.
“The Fire Company does not condone this behavior and deems it unacceptable,” the company’s executive board said in a statement.
The viral video has garnered over 4.5 million views on TikTok.
The child’s grandmother told NBC New York that her daughter called the police after she had taken away the child’s phone, causing her to become emotionally distressed.
The child’s grandmother said the girl has since secluded herself at home and “didn’t want to go to school.”
“She has anxiety. She will need therapy,” the grandmother, who also wished not to be named, told Newsday.
The grandmother questioned if race played a role in how the child was treated, although Alt was not heard making any racially charged comments in the viral video.
The family has called first responders in the past for the fifth grader, but personnel were always understanding, the grandmother claimed.
Officers with the Suffolk County Police Department were also on scene during Wednesday’s incident, and some online called for an investigation into why they just stood by as Alt berated the child.
The department stated that the officers at the scene reported the incident to their supervisor, and internal affairs also notified the Town of Babylon, according to a statement obtained by Newsday.
Alt’s actions have now also crept outside the realm of his volunteer duties.
Alt, a conductor with the Long Island Rail Road, is “being withheld from duty pending full review of the situation,” an MTA spokesperson told the outlet.
The Post has reached out to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for comment.
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