James “Jim” Riches, a former New York City Fire Department deputy chief, died on Thanksgiving Day at age 74 from illnesses linked to toxic exposure at Ground Zero, 24 years after the attacks claimed his son, Jimmy Jr.
On September 11, 2001, as the second tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, then New York City Fire Department Battalion Chief James “Jim” Riches raced to Ground Zero.
His eldest son, Jimmy Jr., a firefighter assigned to Ladder 114 in Brooklyn’s ... [7508 chars]