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August Johansen, 45, had his photo published along with a story about his participation in a 9/11 fundraiser in a Tennessee town that’s coincidentally named Union City.
In the photo, Johansen is wearing an FDNY patch on his polo shirt.
Johansen was outed by NYC Fire Wire, an online news service that also participates in fundraisers and assistance efforts for emergency responders and their families.
The Fire Wire had been contacted late Wednesday, Sept. 7, by emergency responders in Hudson County who’d recognized Johansen.
“I was one of several medics who called the Union City, Tennessee Fire Department,” one of them told Daily Voice. “One of the other guys found the ‘advertisement’ for the 9/11 event online and was, like, ‘Holy f*ck – that bastard!’ “
The Fire Wire instantly sounded the online alarm and squadrons of followers fanned the flames, as social media strangers teamed up to background the guy.
On Thursday, fire officials in Union City, TN, announced that Johansen had been bounced from this Saturday's event -- a memorial stair climb meant to simulate one of the obstacles New York City's bravest faced at the World Trade Center that fateful day.
Union City Fire Chief Karl Ullrich said he received multiple calls late Wednesday and early Thursday from firefighters in New York City, first responders in New Jersey and members of his own community.
Ullrich called his Big Apple counterparts, who confirmed that Johansen had never been a city smoke eater.
“We are saddened and embarrassed by this development which detracts from what is a heartfelt tribute to the firefighters lost in the attack on the World Trade Center, and a fundraiser for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, a worthy cause,” the chief said in a release.
“We’re in a part of the country known for corn fields and not skyscrapers,” Ullrich added. “We are able to host a special 9/11 memorial at Discovery Park of America, a world-class museum and heritage park. It’s a unique opportunity for a town as small as ours, and we will continue with our plans to remember and honor our big-city brothers in New York.”
Johansen, formerly of North Bergen and Pompton Lakes, NJ, couldn't immediately be reached for comment. He'd apparently disabled all of his social media accounts.
The Sept. 1 story about him listed a 25-year history of service to the Fire Department of the City of New York, including promotions to assistant chief and battalion chief in the Bronx and then Manhattan. It also said he’d been in the North Tower during the attacks and commanded a hazardous materials unit during both the rescue and recovery missions at Ground Zero.
“Many of us who witnessed the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks also remember the way we came together as a nation afterward,” Johansen was quoted as saying. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to honor my fallen brothers and help raise critical funds for the NFFF.”
It was all "stolen valor," officials said.
“This started as a question to our inbox & it didn't take long to confirm,” says a Facebook post by NYC Fire Wire on Thursday that thanked officials in Union City, TN as well as “all of our followers who went to work last night sniffing this out.
“9/11/01 is more than 20 years ago,” it adds, “but the wounds ran deep & it still bleeds. Many are still battling various illnesses & cancers from that day. The nightmares from PTSD wake us up at times. While we understand it affected everyone differently, there is absolutely no excuse for con'ing people like this.”
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