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In the Line of Duty
Richard W. Leonard, 70 - Perth Amboy, NJ
7/30/2017
Name: Richard W. Leonard Rank: Firefighter Age: 70 Gender: Male Status: Career Years of Service: 20 Date of Incident: 04/19/1993 Time of Incident: 1220hrs Date of Death: 07/30/2017 Fire Department: Perth Amboy Fire Department Address: 375 New Brunswick Ave, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861 Fire Department Chief: Edward A. Mullen Incident Description: Firefighter Richard W. Leonard was operating a pumper at a fire on State Street in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on April 19, 1993. The fire involved a recycling facility with plastics. Firefighter Leonard did not have breathing air and worked in the highly toxic plastic burning smoke for hours. Leonard never returned to duty and spent the last 24 years under workers' compensation care for continuous medical conditions caused from inhaling the smoke. Firefighter Leonard died on July 30, 2017 due to the effects of the smoke exposure.