Mike Colón Media

“There are things that put scars on your soul — this was one of them.”

In Episode 389 of Mic’d In New Haven — Tales From The Boom Room: Volume 39 — retired NYPD Detective Bill Ryan revisits one of the most horrific scenes of his career: the 1995 Freddy’s Fashion Mart Massacre, a hate-fueled arson that left seven innocent people dead.

Ryan describes the chaos first responders faced — firefighters trying to battle a blaze while being shot at, ESU unsure whether the killer was alone, and detectives working to piece together the crime scene through smoke, debris, and tragedy.

But the moment that still tears at him decades later came downstairs, where one of the victims was found hidden in an office, still clutching the phone she used to call 9-1-1. She had narrated her final moments as the fire trapped her.

“There are a handful of things that put scars on your soul,” Ryan says. “That call… taking the phone from her hand… that was one of them.”

A harrowing, human reminder of the victims behind the headlines.

Outro Song: Silverchair – Israel’s Son (1995)

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