“Peter Alt”, the now-former fire chief of North Babylon, is out of a job after a vile outburst was caught on camera and splashed across TikTok. The video? It’s tough to watch. A 10-year-old girl, clearly upset, clearly overwhelmed, is being loaded onto a stretcher, and instead of calm reassurance, she’s met with “a grown man screaming” at her to “shut the f**k up.”
And this wasn’t just a frustrated whisper or a heated exchange between adults — this was a “public”, profanity-laced “tirade” directed at a child. “A child”.
“”It’s like this with you every f**king week!”” Alt yells, as the girl cries out that she just wants to go home. And let’s be crystal clear: this wasn’t a criminal in custody, or a threat to public safety.
This was a little girl — reportedly triggered by something as simple as having her phone taken away — and her family called emergency services because they “trusted” they’d get help. Not verbal abuse.
Now, maybe the chief had a long night. Maybe he’s been to this house before. Maybe he’s frustrated with the system. But none of that — “none of it” — excuses telling a 10-year-old to “shut her mouth” while she’s being strapped down in front of neighbors and family.
And the “silence” from the other responders in that moment? That hit just as hard for a lot of people watching. One TikTok comment put it perfectly: “”The SILENCE of those other ‘men’ is almost worse.””
After the clip exploded online, the North Babylon Fire Company put out a statement calling the behavior “unacceptable” and confirming Alt had been “relieved of all duties pending an investigation”. But for the community, the damage is already done.
Neighbors say police and emergency personnel have responded to this household before — but never like this. Never screaming. Never berating. And definitely never hurling f-bombs at a distressed child.
A Long Island fire chief is “relieved of his duties after telling a child in distress to shut the F up‼️… LISTEN IN pic.twitter.com/679SJE6S7e
— Nightcap Crimes (@NightcapCrimes) August 6, 2025
The girl’s grandmother, who wasn’t home at the time, said it best: “When you call for help… they’re supposed to “help you.” Not treat you like garbage.” And honestly, that’s the heart of this whole thing.
Because if emergency responders lose compassion — if they forget that “even the hardest calls still involve people” — then what exactly are we left with?
Yes, fire departments and EMS deal with tough, messy, emotionally charged situations all the time. But leadership is about grace under pressure. And Peter Alt? In that moment, he didn’t just lose his cool — he lost the trust of an entire community.
