Pleasantville Firefighters Remember Slain Comrade in Vigil

Pleasantville volunteer firefighters gathered in Graham Hills Park Monday night each with a candle in hand to remember one of their own.

For the 17th year, firefighters and friends held a vigil to remember slain Pleasantville firefighter Tom Dorr and to express hope that whomever was responsible for his murder is eventually brought to justice. About 30 people attended the vigil, many of them Pleasantville firefighters and co-workers of Dorr at the White Plains Department of Public Works.

Dorr, 50, was stabbed to death on Jan. 7, 1996, during a snowstorm. He had left his house on Pollywiggle Lane to walk to the Washington Avenue firehouse and join the other volunteers on standby during the blizzard. His body was found in the snow the next day.

It’s a fate that firefighter John Thys said no one deserved. Thys joined the department the year before Dorr’s death, but his kindness made an impression on him.

“He was one of those guys that would always take care of the new guy,” Thys said. “He was very dedicated.”

For current Commissioner John Brooks, he still smiles when he hears the tall and lanky Dorr referred to as a gentle giant.

“Basically a quiet guy. Just a nice guy,” Brooks said. “Never hurt a fly in his life.”

Brooks and Pastor Paul Egensteiner of the Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pleasantville spoke during the 20-minute vigil. Some of the focus was on commemorating Dorr’s life, but there was also the plea for justice to finally be served.

Although suspects were identified during the investigation following Dorr’s murder, no one was ever charged.

“It’s kind of a situation where after this much time has passed you doubt that it’s ever going to happen,” Thys said of authorities finding a suspect.

He added the police detective who worked the case has attended the vigil in the past and said he still thinks about the case. While Thys concedes it isn’t on the “A-list” of murder investigations after such a long time, he did say “it’s probably somewhere in someone’s mind that it’s an open case.”

Brooks said every year the vigil brings Dorr’s tragic story to the public’s consciousness with the hope it’ll help bring his killer or killers to justice. Although many of today’s volunteers have joined since Dorr’s death, Brooks said it’s important to press on until someone is caught.

“Each year we’ll bring it up and they’ll either get tired of hearing from us, their conscience gets to them,” Brooks said, “or somebody that knows something will turn them in.”