Decorated Firefighter Killed After Falling Off Motorcycle, Getting Hit by Car on FDR Drive
Matthew Goicochea, 31, was hit by a car after falling off his motorcycle around the East 25th Street stretch of the highway. The driver did not stay at the scene, and the incident is under review by the authorities.

A decorated FDNY firefighter was killed on the FDR Drive in a possible hit-and-run incident after falling off his Yamaha motorcycle, police say. He was off duty at the time of the fatal accident.
The NYPD told Straus News that 31-year-old Matthew Goicochea “failed to navigate” the highway at around 3:48am on Thursday, July 24, near 25th Street. He was then struck by an “unknown vehicle” shortly thereafter, which did not remain on the scene.
Goicochea was pronounced dead after being rushed to Bellevue by paramedics. The NYPD’s Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad is investigating the incident, and no arrests have been made.
Goicochea, a Bronx resident, was stationed at Ladder 41 in the Bronx. He joined the FDNY in 2022, and went on to receive the prestigious Thomas Wylie Medal last year, for rescuing an unconscious person in a wheelchair during an uncontrolled blaze in August 2023.
According to an FDNY account of that day, Goicochea’s company had responded to a blaze in a six-story building located in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. The fire had broken out on the fourth floor, and smoke was visibly emanating from a window. However, an available fire extinguisher became exhausted–leading Goicochea to bravely make his way into the apartment despite “blinding visibility,” where he discovered an unconscious person.
”Realizing the victim was entangled in a wheelchair, FF Goicochea worked quickly to begin removing the victim. With conditions in the fire apartment rapidly worsening and no hoseline yet in place, FF Goicochea made his move past the now-extending fire while shielding the victim with his body,” the report noted. He managed to help the person down the stairs to an ambulance, where they were rushed to the hospital and survived.
”At great personal risk, FF Goicochea’s quick and decisive actions led to the rescue, removal, and prompt emergency medical care of this victim,” the report summarized, adding that granting him the medal was “in keeping with the highest traditions of the FDNY.”
NYC Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry commemorated Goicochea in an online statement. “We lost a true hero this morning with the tragic passing of Firefighter Matthew Goicochea. . . . His dedication to serving and protecting New Yorkers, including his heroic rescue of a fire victim in the Bronx that earned him the Thomas Wylie Medal last year, exemplifies the selflessness and courage that define all of New York’s Bravest.”
“With conditions in the fire apartment rapidly worsening . . . FF Goicochea made his move past the now-extending fire while shielding the victim with his body.” — Part of the statement when presenting Goicochea with the prestigious Thomas Wylie Medal last year,