'Our son was a true hero,' Matthew Goicochea's parents remember fallen Bronx firefighter
Matthew Goicochea lived and worked in The Bronx, serving the Morris Park community at Ladder 41.
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Loved ones are remembering one of New York's bravest after a deadly hit-and-run on the FDR Drive, just before 4 a.m. Thursday.
News 12 sat down with Matthew Goicochea parents at their home in Throgs Neck as they come to terms with the loss of their only son.
They said he was a son, brother and dedicated firefighter.
"When you get a call that early in the morning, you know, it's something serious. So you always dread that call," said Robert Goicochea, Matthew's father.
Goicochea lost control of his motorcycle and was struck by a driver who never stopped.
His father says his son loved his motorcycle, despite warnings about the dangers.
"From when he was a baby, he always wanted a motorcycle. Always. I fought him. I fought him, fought him for many years... We had a talk and I said, just be careful," said Robert Goicochea.
Matthew Goicochea lived and worked in The Bronx, serving the Morris Park community at Ladder 41.
His parents say becoming a firefighter was his dream, and in August 2023, he proved his courage by rushing into a burning building to save a life without hesitation.
"He said they were in a chair or something. They couldn't get him out of the chair. So, he just grabbed the chair and the person. And pulled them out, pulled them out," said Brigida Goicochea, Matthew's mother.
Goicochea joined the department in September 2022 and received the Thomas Wylie Medal in 2024 for rescuing an unconscious victim during a Bronx fire.
"When they say firemen are heroes, our son was a true hero," said Brigida Goicochea.
"Respectable. Respectful, that's how we raised him. He was always polite. Nobody ever had a bad thought to speak about him," said Robert Goicochea.
As Robert and Brigida Goicochea hold onto their memories of their son, they say their hope is that son is remembered for his courage and caring spirit.
