A settlement about a racist party is reached between the City of Rochester and a former firefighter

Rochester, New York – Jerrod Jones, a former RFD firefighter who sued the City of Rochester after being brought to a racist Juneteenth fake celebration while working in 2022, has struck a settlement.

After 14 years of service, Jones said that on July 7, 2022, Captain Jeffrey Krywy made him and two other employees attend him to a private party while they were working.

At the house of Dr. Nicholas Nicosia and his wife Mary, photos of other Democratic politicians and members of the Rochester Police Accountability Board were allegedly posted on stakes scattered throughout the backyard, along with Juneteenth flags, a large cutout of former President Donald Trump, and a woman dressed as legislator Rachel Barnhart from Monroe County.

Following the revelation of the accusations, the Nicosias held a news conference in which they denied any racial undertones and asserted that the party was all about “liberal bashing.” While acknowledging that she had a racist Twitter account, Mary Nicosia attributed this to “Twitter culture.”

Following the accusations, the Nicosias were removed from several local boards, including the Landmark Society and the board of directors of Highland Hospital. Following an internal investigation, it was decided that Krywy would have to depart the RFD. Prior to it happening, he made the decision to retire.

In a joint statement, Jones and the City of Rochester stated that Jones had made the decision not to rejoin the fire department.

The settlement’s specifics have not been disclosed to the public.

Full joint statement from Jerrod Jones at the City of Rochester

On July 7, 2022, Jerrod Jones was a Firefighter working Truck #4 for the Rochester Fire Department.

On that day, he and other firefighters on Truck #4 were taken to a private event at a residence on East Avenue, in accordance with the wishes and direction of the newly assigned Captain of Truck #4. While this event was within Truck# 4’s district, it was wholly inappropriate for the Captain to have taken the firefighters of Truck #4 to this event on duty. This event involved wholly inappropriate political and racial overtones.

Following this event, Firefighter Jones commenced suit against the City of Rochester asserting various claims stemming from this incident. Today the parties are pleased to announce that this lawsuit has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties.

As part of this resolution, Mr. Jones has elected not to return to his duties as a firefighter. This was Mr. Jones’s decision and the City is respectful of his choice. The City wishes Mr. Jones the very best in his future endeavors and thanks him for his years of service to the City and its citizens.

The parties express their appreciation to each other for their respective efforts which led to this mutually satisfactory settlement as Mr. Jones moves forward positively and so too does the Rochester Fire Department under the leadership and direction of Chief Napolitano.