Alleged victim claims Wantagh F.D. seeking dismissal

One year after Amanda Gross filed a lawsuit against the Wantagh Fire Department and two former firefighters over an alleged sexual assault, her lawyer, Vesselin Mitev, says the department is trying to have it dismissed.

During an interview with NBC 4 news, Gross, who remains a volunteer medic for the fire department, spoke about the alleged incident that led to her filing a lawsuit against the department in January of last year.

“I thought these people were my friends and they weren’t,” Gross told NBC 4. “They did the complete opposite and took advantage.”

The Herald reached out to the Wantagh Fire District, and the district said they couldn’t comment on pending litigation at the advice of their legal counsel.

According to the lawsuit, Gross alleges that ex-chief Kenneth Kelly Jr. and Engine 7 captain Josef Seier sexually assaulted her at a birthday party that took place at the station 4 firehouse throughout the late evening and early morning of Jan. 14 and Jan. 15 in 2022.

The lawsuit claims Gross was at the party celebrating Seier’s birthday, and Kelly and Seier executed a premeditated plan to get her intoxicated by overserving liquor before taking advantage of her in a bathroom.

After Kelly shut down the party and told everyone to leave at around 2 a.m., the lawsuit claims that Seier began forcing himself on Gross at the firehouse company bar. Gross repeatedly told Seier “no”, as well as telling him that it was “a bad idea,” but Seier ignored her and continued the alleged assault and forced himself on her.

After Gross arrived home the following day, she received a text from Kelly, according to the lawsuit, which said “Had fun last night. But remember that’s between you me and Joe only forever.”

Gross told NBC 4 news that both men she accused of sexual assault have been removed from the fire department.