About Nick

Nick was a fireman with the elite rescue company located on Staten Island, Rescue 5. Nick along with his fellow firefighters from that company answered the call to the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. He had just finished a tour and was getting ready to go home when the call came in. Nevertheless, he jumped on the truck with the rest of the men and rushed to the towers. Nick and the rest of those valiant young men never returned home that evening. Nick gave his life while saving others. He was 35.

Nick was born in the wee hours of the morning on 5/26/66. He was our firstborn, but our family quickly grew, and before long he had a sister and two brothers. He was always an adventurous, energetic, never idle person. He played sandlot football as a young boy and then played football for Port Richmond High School, taking his involvement in that program very seriously. He inspired his younger brothers and they too got involved and played football for Port Richmond. They both went on to become football coaches and in turn have inspired others. Nick just didn’t go to the gym to work out and build muscle, he became a bodybuilder and entered competitions. He loved fast cars and had a few. He loved speed and the excitement of it. He went on to own a motorcycle and a jet ski. He played roller hockey and ice hockey, and even taught ice hockey to young children in his spare time.

Because he was so good looking and had a winning personality to match, he was certainly an attraction to the opposite sex, which affectionately earned him the nickname, “Nicky Love”. He became involved in Karate and it was his relationship with his Sen Sei and his dojo brothers that was to have an extremely positive impact on him. After graduating from High School, Nick went to work for Brooklyn Union Gas Company. However, he wanted a job that allotted him a more creative outlet, he joined the Carpenter’s Union and began to use his God-given talent and his hands to make a living. A short while later, he actually struck out on his own, starting his own home improvement business and called it Rosso’s Home Improvements. Nick had hands of gold, and you will find his craftsmanship shining in many homes belonging to his clients, and to his family and friends. His life-long dream was to be married, have a family, and to do what he did in everyone else’s home in a home of his own. Having a business of his own was great for Nick because he loved the independence, but he craved more financial stability in his life, so he applied to the New York City Fire Department. He passed the written test and the physical with flying colors. He was accepted into the Fire Academy. Nick graduated the academy and began his career with the Fire Department in February, 1996. The rest is history.

Even though Nick’s life was short, it was a constant work in progress. The road was not always smooth for him, but during the years just prior to his death, he seemed to have found peace and contentment. Nick faced many adversities, growing up for the most part in a single-parent home. He created challenges and set goals for himself. He loved the high and the feeling of satisfaction he felt when he conquered the challenge and achieved the goal. He lived life with enthusiasm and fully respected each day that he had here on earth. It was the way Nick learned to live his life that created that person who ran into those towers that day.

Because of his courageous act on September 11, 2001, Nick was awarded the most prestigious "Medal of Valor".