Albert A. Filosa was born on November 5, 1955, in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised by Italian immigrants on 498 3rd Street, the youngest of three siblings. He went to John Jay High School and later a vocational school, William E. Grady, where he learned automotives and cultivated a passion for muscle cars.

He married Julia Aiello, who grew up on First Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue, and their love lasted 46 years. They raised two girls in Brooklyn, Louise and Olympia. In 2006, Albert became a grandfather, and he proudly had three generations living under one roof in the same home he and his siblings grew up in.

Albert A. Filosa passed away on Monday August 28, 2023. He was a retired firefighter who got on the job at 30 years old and worked in Brooklyn, Ladder 146/Engine 229 in Greenpoint. He loved his work as a firefighter and spent 20 years with the FDNY, cultivating what it means to be a NYC firefighter and a brother among brothers. With his fellow firefighters, he shared the weight of the job, the pride of service, and the unspoken bond that only those who wear the FDNY uniform can truly understand. He was described as generous, loyal, and brave, the kind of brave that doesn’t shout but stands tall. He was a great firefighter. As fate would have it, on his last tour of duty, the city shut down in his honor with the Northeast Blackout of 2003.

He died of cancer, a cancer caused from digging through the rubble in the days following 9/11, searching for remains. He died at 70 years old, and in his last year of life he was painfully sick, which was difficult to witness. The cancer had metastasized to his lungs. He required constant care; he couldn’t breathe. He died at home the way that he wished, surrounded by his family.

World Trade Center cancer took him from us, but it will never erase what he gave—to the city, to his brothers and sisters in the FDNY, and to all of us who were lucky enough to know him. His sacrifice was part of something bigger, something sacred. He’s the hero and, as the cliché goes, he ran in when others ran out, and he kept running until he couldn’t, long after that day we’ll never forget.

He was more than a great firefighter. He was a great husband, father, grandfather, uncle, friend, and brother, and we will never stop honoring his memory.