Public Employee Press

B’klyn street is named for the late Nicky Antico

At the corner where his memory will now live on, all the different parts of Nicky Antico’s life came together Saturday, Sept. 23. Family, friends and co-workers first gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Brooklyn for a memorial Mass celebrated by his childhood friend, Father William Arlia.

Then they traveled three blocks to the corner of 14th Avenue and 76th Street, Nicky’s old haunt, where he, William Arlia and others spent time during their teenage years and became known as “The 76th Street Boys.”

Antico’s widow, Arianna, his daughter AnnaMarie, family members, co-workers and “The 76th Street Boys” observed solemnly as the corner was re-named “Nicky Antico Jr. Way.”

A Police Dept. ceremonial unit performed the flag honors, while City Council member Vincent Gentile and Dept. of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Joseph Cannisi unveiled the ceremonial street sign. Family members addressed the gathering, along with DOT co-workers and friends Steve Ruggiero and Tony Serccio, Assemblyman Peter Abbate and state Sen. Martin Golden.

Antico, 35, a former member of Construction Laborers, Highway Repairers & Watershed Maintainers Local 376, died from injuries he sustained on the job after being hit by a speeding vehicle that broke through DOT barriers on Slossen Avenue, Staten Island, one year ago.

More than 50 co-workers attended the ceremony, including Louis Ciccotto and Michael Moschella, who were both injured in the accident that took Antico’s life. Many wore commemorative T-shirts bearing the legend: “New York City Department of Transportation: In Loving Memory of Nicky Antico, 1969-2005.”

Antico’s family honored his generous spirit by donating his heart, liver, and kidneys to help save other lives. Blue-collar workers like Nicky Antico suffer on-the-job fatalities at a disproportionate rate, according to the AFL-CIO report, “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect.” The annual study analyzes workplace fatalities and injuries by state, occupation and other factors and it examines federal enforcement of safety standards. For more information visit www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/memorial/doj_2006.cfm.

— Jane LaTour