Jerrod Jones, a firefighter in Rochester, New York, is filing a $4 million lawsuit after he was allegedly taken to a racist party while on duty. (Credit: Screenshot - YouTube)
Jerrod Jones, a firefighter in Rochester, New York, is filing a $4 million lawsuit after he was allegedly taken to a racist party while on duty. (Credit: Screenshot – YouTube)

A Black firefighter in New York has reportedly filed a lawsuit after a fire captain allegedly took him and a small group of firefighters to a racist party.

Jerrod Jones, a 14-year veteran of the Rochester Fire Department, is seeking $4 million in damages after a fire captain brought him and three other firefighters to a private party during their shifts, reported the Democrat & Chronicle.

In a notice of claim filed on Thursday, Jones said the fire crew were in uniform when they arrived at a mansion in a wealthy neighborhood. Jones said he immediately felt uneasy when he saw a cutout of former President Donald Trump because on-duty firefighters are not supposed to attend partisan political events, reported the Democrat & Chronicle.

At the residence, he said he also saw a display mocking the Juneteenth holiday, along with two large Juneteenth flags, buckets of chicken and a woman impersonating the Democratic county legislator while performing a sexually suggestive dance. Jones said he was asked if he wanted to take home the bucket of KFC fired chicken.

Jones said he told superiors about the alleged incident and requested to not be assigned to work under the fire captain, but his request was denied.

In a statement, Rochester Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez called the allegations “unacceptable,” and said an internal investigation had completed. The fire captain remained suspended “until the action has been received and accepted,” reported the Democrat & Chronicle.

Jones will seek $3 million for emotional distress and $1 million in compensatory damages. He is currently on leave and fears retaliation, his attorney said.

More about the allegations can be found here.