Services Set For Fallen Firefighter, Road Closures Announced: PD

BAY SHORE, NY —Suffolk County Police are advising motorists of traffic delays and road closures in Bay Shore for the funeral of FDNY Firefighter Jesse Gerhard on Wednesday afternoon.

The funeral will take place at 12 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Bay Shore.

Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., police said, the following streets will be closed:

• Main Street will be closed between Community Road and 4th Avenue
• Mechanicsville Road will be closed between 4th Avenue and Clinton Avenue
• Gibson Street will be closed at the intersections of South Clinton Avenue, Bay Avenue and Ocean Avenue.

Motorists are urged to avoid the area during these times and use alternate routes, police said.

The Islip Fire Department said that a wake will also be held for the fallen firefighter on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Chapey's Funeral Home, located at 200 E. Main Street in East Islip.

Gerhard, 33, of Long Beach, suffered a "medical episode" after battling a fire in a three-story Queens home last week. He was taken to St. John's Episcopal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, FDNY said.

He served seven years in the FDNY, officials said. He was also a volunteer with the Islip Fire Department. He is survived by his parents, brother and sister-in-law, FDNY officials said.