The mother of a 10-year-old girl experiencing emotional distress expressed outrage when Long Island fire chief Peter Alto was taken away in an ambulance, claiming that he “failed” her daughter.
The incident ignited anger after video footage showed Alto being dismissive toward the distressed child during an emergency call in West Babylon.
“He was meant to protect her and help her, not verbally abuse her,” said the girl’s mother, who chose to remain anonymous.
She worries that this event may lead her daughter to “lose her faith” in emergency services, which she finds alarming.
“He let her down,” the mother stated, emphasizing that “children should not be treated like that.”
The fire chief was caught on video saying, “Close F-K! This is what f-King is like every week!” while the girl was crying, “I don’t want to go! I want to go home!” as she was being placed into an ambulance.
Alto then snapped, “Shut up!” as the ambulance doors closed.
According to the North Babylon Fire Company, Alto, a veteran with 22 years of service, was placed on leave on August 5 while an investigation is underway. The company expressed in a statement that this conduct is intolerable.
The video has gone viral, racking up over 4.5 million views on TikTok.
The girl’s grandmother revealed that her daughter had called the police after taking away the child’s phone, which caused her significant distress.
Since the incident, the grandmother mentioned the girl has been isolating herself at home and is reluctant to return to school.
“She’s struggling. She needs help,” the grandmother said, also opting to keep her name private.
She raised concerns about whether race affected the treatment of the child, although Alto had not been reported to make any racially charged comments in the viral video.
The family had previously sought help from first responders for the fifth grader, with the grandmother asserting that those interactions had always been handled with understanding.
Officials from the Suffolk County Police Department were also present at the scene during the incident, prompting some online to question why they remained silent when Alto directed harsh words at the child.
The department clarified that field officers notified a supervisor about the incident, and internal affairs subsequently informed the town of Babylon.
Alto’s behavior appears to exceed the boundaries of his volunteer role. He also conducts trains for the Long Island Rail Road, an MTA spokesperson noted, stating that thorough review of the incident is forthcoming.
Attempts to reach the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for further comments were made.
