Saddle Brook Firefighter Shawn Sturdy Dies Following ATV Crash

SADDLE BROOK, NJ — Firefighter Lt. Shawn Sturdy died Sunday following an all-terrain vehicle accident June 8.

Saddle Brook Fire Department Battalion Chief Shant Ohannessian confirmed Sturdy's death Sunday night.

"Shawn was a fearless fireman and an up-and-comer in the firehouse. He definitely had all the makings to climbing all the way to the top with more time and experience. He was knowledgeable and even tempered, had no enemies and was very respectful," Ohannessian said. "At work he was the same way as in the firehouse, he was generous, thoughtful, and fun-loving."

Sturdy worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as a bridge and tunnel agent. He patrolled areas to help control and expedite traffic, and responded to emergencies at the authority's bridges and tunnels.

The June 8 crash required Sturdy to be air lifted to a trauma center and be hospitalized in an intensive-care unit, a fundraising team stated on a Gofundme page set up to help him.

After several surgeries, Sturdy was "still not out of the woods from his near-death accident," the team stated on the Gofundme page, which was created Friday.

Strudy's fellow firefighters and emergency responders expressed their grief regarding his death Sunday night.

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Lt. Shawn Sturdy of the Saddle Brook Fire Department (Photo courtesy of GoFundMe, a promotional partner of Patch)