A top officer of an Italian cargo ship that caught fire last summer in one of America's busiest seaports broke down in sobs Thursday recalling his crew's initial efforts to put out the blaze, saying they “are broken” that two New Jersey fire captains lost their lives battling the blaze.
Benito LaFauci, the chief mate of the Grande Costa D'Avorio, testified at a hearing before the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board into the cause of the July 5 fire that killed Newark Fire Department Captains Augusto “Augie” Acabou and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr.
