The Union City Fire Department has removed a speaker from the Union City 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on Sept. 10 after reports that he had lied about his involvement in the response to the 9/11 terror attacks.
After promoting the event, scheduled for the Discovery Park of America, the Union City Fire Department received reports that August Johansen had “misrepresented his curriculum vitae” which included false claims about involvement with the events of 9/11.
“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,” Union City Fire Chief Karl Ullrich said in a release announcing the change.
The department received many inquiries about the event as soon as it promoted the event on Social Media.
One news outlet, NYC Firewire, said it, too, received complaints about the speaker, and it went to work investigating.
“Thank you, Union City Fire for addressing this & all of our followers who went to work last night sniffing this out. This started as a question to our inbox & it didn’t take long to confirm.
“I know 9/11/01 is more than 20 years ago, 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 conning people like this.”
Thank you Union City Fire for addressing this. https://t.co/DT8RrbuImf
— NYCFireWire (@NYCFireWire) September 8, 2022
