May 12th, 2022 – Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter recently joined alongside friends and family of FDNY Firefighter Joseph R. Rivelli, Jr. for the memorial street re-dedication ceremony of Rivelli Way in West Islip. Firefighter Rivelli was among the many first responders to have heroically paid the ultimate sacrifice on September 11th, 2001.

WATCH NOW: Islip Town Joins Family in Honoring Fallen 9/11 Firefighter

Joseph R. Rivelli, Jr. was a member of the search-and-rescue team for FDNY Ladder Co. 25 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. On September 11, 2001, he was one of the first firefighters from his unit to arrive at the World Trade Center. During rescue and evacuation efforts in the South Tower, Joseph and six others from the FDNY were on an elevator heading to the 40th floor when the building collapsed.

Joseph dedicated 18 years of service to the FDNY. He had plans to retire within two years and relocate to Florida to begin a new career as a commercial airline pilot. Outside of his dedicated career as a civil servant, he coached the Inwood Buccaneers Football Team, who lovingly referred to him as “Coach Joe.”

“We will never forget the sacrifices made by heroic men and women on that most solemn of days,” said Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter. “We dedicate this road in Joseph’s honor and the memory of a man who did not back down in the face of danger, but continued to climb upwards despite it, because that is what his courage and duty demanded. When kids pass by this street corner, maybe they will ask who Joseph was, and it will be a great teaching moment for future generations,” added Supervisor Carpenter.

Joseph grew up in West Islip with his parents and three siblings, and graduated West Islip High school as part of the Class of 1976. Joseph childhood dream was to become a firefighter, a dream he would realize when joining the FDNY.

In attendance alongside Supervisor Carpenter were Joseph’s father Joseph R. Rivelli, Sr.; stepmother Mae Vasallo; sister Donna Ambrosino and her husband Thomas; Brother Michael Rivelli; many of his nieces and nephews, and members of the West Islip Fire Department.