Sep 8, 2009 2:00 pm US/Eastern
Beaten NYC Firefighter Remains In Intensive Care
Ladder 15's Matt Dugan Undergoes 2 Surgeries To Alleviate Brain Swelling
Police Believe 3-Year NYC Firefighter Was Defending His Girlfriend During Confrontation
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Police are looking for more eyewitnesses to come forward after an off-duty firefighter was beaten in an attack early Monday morning.
After two surgeries to relieve pressure in the brain, 34-year-old Matthew Dugan is in intensive care at New York Downtown Hospital. The firefighter is in stable condition and hospital officials say it is way too early to talk about his long-term prognosis.
Family members call Dugan, a 3-year FDNY veteran, a "really good kid" who was just defending his girlfriend outside the Staten Island Ferry terminal early Labor Day morning.
That's when witnesses say Dugan's girlfriend tripped and fell, prompting three strangers to laugh. The off-duty firefighter reportedly told the two men and one woman to "grow up."
Police say the firefighter was then assaulted by the trio, who repeatedly hit him in the head and punched him in the face.
At Ladder 15, where Dugan was assigned, his colleagues were grim-faced and tightlipped, saying off camera that they don't know what happened, but that they are hoping and praying for a full recovery.
Police meanwhile are reviewing surveillance video, and hunting for the trio seen running from the terminal right after the fight.
Family members trying to visit the ICU on Tuesday said they wanted to make one thing clear; the off-duty firefighter did not start the fight.
The injured firefighter's girlfriend wasn't hurt in the attack. She was able to give police a description of the suspects.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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