Thomas A. Casoria waited almost five years, after taking his exam, to be called to his job at the Fire Department. After almost three years on the job he was with Engine 22 on East 85th Street.
Firefighter Casoria was last heard from, according to his father, Carlo, when he radioed his captain to say that he and two other firefighters were helping a paraplegic down the stairs from the fifth floor of 1 World Trade Center and, a little later, when he radioed that a fireman was down.
Firefighter Casoria, 29, grew up in Whitestone, Queens. At Holy Cross High School in Flushing, Queens, he played second base and was captain of his baseball team and was an all-city football player. Once in the Fire Department, he switched to softball and played second base on the department team. He "made plays they can't believe he made," his father said.
Tommy's brother, Carlo, who is also a firefighter, was in the same class at the academy. "He was my go-to guy," Carlo said. "He would be there for me."
With his firefighting career under way, Thomas Casoria had time to think of his future and make his mother, Judy, happy. He was engaged on Oct. 22 a year ago and was set to be married on Oct. 13.
Profile shared from original published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 9, 2001.