Bikers Join Together To Honor Fallen Philadelphia Fire Captain
By Elizabeth Hur
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Bikers joined together to honor a fallen Philadelphia Fire Captain.
Captain Mike Goodwin was killed when a roof collapsed inside a fabric store in Queen Village on Saturday.
Tuesday evening, hundreds of bikers came from near and far to pay tribute to Captain Goodwin.
Officer Michael Duffy with the Philadelphia Police Department, one of the organizers, explained.
"You don't want to make all this noise at a viewing or at a funeral. If we can give the family a minute to put a smile on their face before the funeral, it's all worth it," said Duffy.
Tom Hazlett of Fishtown said, "It's an awesome show of solidarity."
Hazlett did not know the 29-year veteran and neither did Ruthanne Miller of Port Richmond.
Miller added, "It's just wonderful."
But they felt compelled to pay their respects.
Darrell Miller of Port Richmond said, "This is my way to showing support to Philadelphia and the guys who put their lives on the line everyday for us."
The Honor Ride fell on the same day where just hours earlier, a solemn ceremony honored Captain Goodwin along with Fire Captain Bob Neary and firefighter Daniel Sweeney, who died on this day a year ago in a Kensington Warehouse fire.
Mike Goodwin Jr. said, "The love and respect we're getting from this city is enormous and outrageous."
And on this night, the family of Captain Goodwin said their hearts were filled with gratitude. They were grateful after seeing the sea of riders and a picture obtained exclusively by Eyewitness News. It is a moving and heartbreaking image, taken just moments before he ran into the burning building at 4th and Fitzwater Streets where he gave his life while saving others. The Goodwins say that photograph embodied their patriarch perfectly.
Goodwin Jr. explained, "Courage, bravery, he had his hand up, basically saying 'Stop I got this, I'm going to handle this.' That's what kind of guy he was, he went into the situation, he handled it and he got out."
