John Florio, 33, was very athletic and “built like a box of bricks.” He was made starting halfback the first time he tried out for the FDNY’s football team.
He kept in shape by pumped iron to Metallica. A huge fan of the band, Florio had exchanged letters with its lead singer, James Hetfield. A letter from Hetfield was read at Florio’s funeral. Although he hadn’t worked a Tuesday in almost 3 years, that week he had traded shifts to help someone out. His remains were found at the end of October.