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Public Employee Press
Bklyn street is
named for the late Nicky Antico At the corner where his memory will now live
on, all the different parts of Nicky Anticos life came together Saturday,
Sept. 23. Family, friends and co-workers first gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Church in Brooklyn for a memorial Mass celebrated by his childhood friend, Father
William Arlia. Then they traveled three blocks to the corner of 14th
Avenue and 76th Street, Nickys old haunt, where he, William Arlia and others
spent time during their teenage years and became known as The 76th Street
Boys. Anticos widow, Arianna, his daughter AnnaMarie, family
members, co-workers and The 76th Street Boys observed solemnly as
the corner was re-named Nicky Antico Jr. Way. A Police Dept.
ceremonial unit performed the flag honors, while City Council member Vincent Gentile
and Dept. of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Joseph Cannisi unveiled the ceremonial
street sign. Family members addressed the gathering, along with DOT co-workers
and friends Steve Ruggiero and Tony Serccio, Assemblyman Peter Abbate and state
Sen. Martin Golden. Antico, 35, a former member of Construction Laborers,
Highway Repairers & Watershed Maintainers Local 376, died from injuries he
sustained on the job after being hit by a speeding vehicle that broke through
DOT barriers on Slossen Avenue, Staten Island, one year ago. More than
50 co-workers attended the ceremony, including Louis Ciccotto and Michael Moschella,
who were both injured in the accident that took Anticos life. Many wore
commemorative T-shirts bearing the legend: New York City Department of Transportation:
In Loving Memory of Nicky Antico, 1969-2005. Anticos family
honored his generous spirit by donating his heart, liver, and kidneys to help
save other lives. Blue-collar workers like Nicky Antico suffer on-the-job fatalities
at a disproportionate rate, according to the AFL-CIO report, Death on the
Job: The Toll of Neglect. The annual study analyzes workplace fatalities
and injuries by state, occupation and other factors and it examines federal enforcement
of safety standards. For more information visit www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/memorial/doj_2006.cfm.
Jane LaTour | |