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Michael Freeland
On Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, Florida’s Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department added three names to the city’s memorial for firefighters who’ve died in the line of duty. From the left: Capt. Thomas Barber, Lt. Mario Moya, and firefighter Engineer Michael Freeland. City of Jacksonville photo.

Aneurysm Kills Jacksonville Firefighter Trying To Save Crash Victim

First Responders

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An aneurysm killed Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department firefighter Engineer Michael Freeland while he tried to free a crash victim Nov. 11 in Florida, the Duval County Medical Examiner has ruled.

Freeland, 36, was one of three names added to the Jacksonville Fallen Firefighter Memorial Wednesday, Dec. 8, during a ceremony in the Sunshine State to honor those who fell in the line of duty in 2021. 

Freeland died after trying to free a female passenger from a crashed U-Haul truck along Aviation Avenue near Cecil Airport. Firefighters initially suspected he was shocked to death by a live electrical line downed during the crash.

Freeland’s funeral service was held Nov. 20 in Jacksonville, and he was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. 

Aneurysm killed Jacksonville
On Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, Florida’s Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department added three names to the city’s memorial for firefighters who’ve died in the line of duty: Capt. Thomas Barber, Lt. Mario Moya, and firefighter Engineer Michael Freeland. City of Jacksonville photo.

The other two names added to Jacksonville’s Fallen Firefighter Memorial were Capt. Thomas Barber and Lt. Mario Moya.

Barber, 51, died June 14 from a heart attack. Because he perished within 24 hours of his last service call, his death is considered a line of duty fatality under the city’s policy. A veteran of the US Navy, Barber served 21 years in the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.

Moya, 51, died of COVID-19 on Aug. 17. He also was a veteran of the US Navy and had served the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department for 17 years.

Both men are buried in Jacksonville National Cemetery. 

Read Next: Firefighter Emergency Medical Responder Killed in Virgin Islands Accident

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Noelle wiehe

Noelle Wiehe

Fellow

Noelle is an award-winning journalist from Cincinnati, Ohio, who is working with Coffee or Die Magazine as a fellow from Military Veterans in Journalism. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has strived to be a military journalist ever since her internships with the US Army Cadet Command in college. She worked as a civilian journalist covering several units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment on Fort Benning, before she joined the military herself and served as a public affairs specialist attached to the 3rd Infantry Division. She deployed once to fill a role as a media analyst for the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in Kuwait. She has a passion for sharing stories of heroes and people who are far more interesting than they think they are. She follows where the job takes her, but currently resides on the East Coast in Georgia.

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