FDNY EMS Au Bon Pain Debacle Revisited

In a story that seems to get crazier at every turn, the last remaining FDNY EMT involved in the December 9, 2009 coffee shop failure to render aid case has been charged with shoplifting.

You may recall that FDNY EMT Melissa Jackson and her boyfriend, FDNY EMT Jason Green, were accused of failing to come to the aid of a dying pregnant woman, Eutisha Rennix, in a Au Bon Pain coffee shop. While the true facts of the case were not nearly as outrageous as the initial media hype promised, clearly there was room for some improvement in the way the incident was handled.

Last summer, Green was murdered while out night-clubbing. Last October, Jackson was charged criminally with official misconduct over the Au Bon Pain incident.  Rennix’s family filed a suit against the city of New York and Jackson seeking damages for wrongful death.

Jackson has now been accused of trying to steal $50 worth of cosmetics from a Walmart on Monday, February 21, 2011. She has been suspended for 30 days from the FDNY.

For more on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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