Tetrick died in the line of duty on Nov. 19, 2022, when he was hit by a car on the highway while assisting at the scene of an earlier crash.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine took part in a ceremony to pay tribute to a local hero in Cleveland on Friday. During the event, he signed a bill to designate a section of Interstate 90 in honor of the late firefighter Johnny Tetrick.
“This will allow friends, family, all motorists who drive on this highway on Interstate 90 to think about him, to remember him, and to remember his sacrifice,” DeWine said at the ceremony.Â
Tetrick died in the line of duty on Nov. 19, 2022, when he was hit by a car driving illegally around traffic and barriers on the highway while assisting at the scene of an earlier crash. The driver of said vehicle, Leander Bissell, is currently serving a prison sentence of at least 16 years for Tetrick’s murder.
Last month, the Ohio General Assembly unanimously passed House Bill 107, which will designate the stretch of I-90 between East 72nd Street and East 105th where Tetrick was killed as “Cleveland Firefighter Johnny Tetrick Memorial Highway.” The legislation was sponsored by state Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville).
“The Irish have an expression that you die twice: ‘You die when you die, and you die the last time when someone mentions your name for the last time,'” Patton remarked. “Having this sign on the road for decades and decades and decades to come, people haven’t been born yet, but they’ll still be asking their mom and dads, ‘Who is Johnny Tetrick?’ His name’s going to be mentioned a good long time, as it should be.
DeWine signed the bill into law during a ceremony at Cleveland Fire Station 22, Tetrick’s former firehouse. He was joined by Patton and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, as well as Tetrick’s daughter Regan.
“I don’t even think that he could’ve imagined a situation like this,” Regan said of her late father. “I know that he’d just be greatly appreciative of the governor, the mayor, (Rep.) Patton, everybody.”
Another of Tetrick’s three daughters, Fallon, was unable to attend. The reason? As DeWine told the crowd, she was in labor, giving birth to Johnny Tetrick’s first grandchild.
