Boston fireman arrested for drug possession

BOSTON (WHDH) -- A Boston firefighter was arrested for drug possession Tuesday night.

Stephen Hogan, 24, had only about seven months on the job as a Boston fireman. He worked out of a firehouse in Roxbury, on Engine 42.

But now he's off the job, after police say they caught him with heroin.

“I was really angry about the whole situation. I mean, a firefighter who we trust with public safety, is out there doing drugs which are illegal in our society. We don’t tolerate that -- we’re not going to tolerate a guy on any department,” said Mayor Thomas Menino.

Boston Fire says the suspect was on duty when he was arrested at about 6:10 Tuesday night.

Detectives say they spotted him with a plastic bag on Columbus Avenue.

Hogan will face arraignment inside a Roxbury courthouse Thursday on one charge of possession of heroin, and has resigned from the department.

“That’s sad. You make a lot of money and you do heroin?,” said Veronica Saintcyr, a concerned resident.

“I don’t want him nodding off on a fire truck or something. It can be [real dangerous]. When people’s safety is at risk, it really has to be taken seriously,” said P.J Maceachern, a concerned resident.

Hogan comes from a Boston fire family; his father, Gerald, is a district chief in Allston/Brighton. But the mayor says Hogan is the one in trouble.

“He’s an adult. He’s on his own. He should be accountable for his own actions. The father has nothing to do with the son,” Mayor Menino said.

The Boston Fire Department instituted a drug testing program three years ago. About 1,500 firefighters are drug tested every year.