BALTIMORE — “We lost a true hero, believe me, and a wonderful young man,” said John Cosgrove.
Captain Dillion Rinaldo was the second firefighter to lose his life battling a rowhome fire on Linden Avenue on October 19.
On Thursday, the final viewings took place at the Duda-Ruck Funeral Home.
It’s where John Cosgrove, who watched Rinaldo grow up, got to see him for the last time.
“Dillon was always a firehouse kid. When he was young, he would come to the firehouse when he was 4 or 5 years old in his turnout gear. Always around all of the guys, and we all loved him,” said Cosgrove.
Before holding the title of mayor in Rinaldo’s hometown, Cosgrove held every position in the Fair Lawn Fire Department in New Jersey.
Cosgrove was a firefighter alongside Rinaldo’s father.
“I knew Dillon his whole life. I was his confirmation sponsor when he was confirmed, and when he joined the fire department. I had retired after 40 years in the service, and he came to me and asked me if he could take my badge number,” he says.
He says despite the possible dangers that come with the job, being a firefighter was always Rinaldo’s dream.
“It was a lifelong dream of his, and it was something he always wanted to do. And you know he died; he died doing a heroic action. He went back in for his partner, and unfortunately both of them passed away,” said Cosgrove.
He also says he wants everyone, whether they knew Rinaldo or not, to remember him as a loyal man and a hero.
He says he is honored to have a man like Rinaldo look up to him.
