Firefighter Slaying: Apartment Raided, Reward Doubled

A Spring Valley apartment was raided by state police investigating the murder of Justin Speights, the 20-year-old volunteer firefighter stabbed at a big New Year’s Eve party in Orange County, according to The Journal News.

The apartment is owned by the family of village Trustee Vilair Fonvil, who spoke to the paper.

“They are searching for the person who killed the fireman in Orange County,” Fonvil told reporter Steve Lieberman. “From what I understand, there was a bunch of Spring Valley kids at the party.”

Meanwhile, the reward for information in the case has doubled to $20,000.

The Times Herald-Record reports that the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association has donated $10,000 to the Silver Lake Fire Company, which had offered $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible.

Speights was stabbed several times while reportedly trying to break up a fight.

Anyone who attended the New Year’s Eve party at 55 Paddock Drive in Crawford is asked to contact state police at 845-344-5300, even if they do not think they have information.