Tony Bendele on social media creator and a trained Pennsylvania firefighter, said he resigned from his position as captain of the Sunbury Fire Department on Monday after expressing disappointment when a gunman did not kill former President Donald Trump during a Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“It’s a shame it didn’t hit him right in the face,” Bendele said. supposedly he wrote in a now-deleted post on his Facebook page. Photographer Bendele (pictured above) has over 20,000 followers on the social media platform.
When his words were removed, allegedly for violating Facebook’s rules Community Standardsscreenshot suggests Bendele complained that “someone reported” his post.
Meet Tony Bendele.
He is reportedly a firefighter in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.
After the attempted assassination, he wrote on Facebook: “Too bad it didn’t hit him right in the face 🍿.”
When the public learned of his vile comment, he redoubled his efforts.
It would be a shame if Pennsylvanians called… photo:twitter.com/d3ZtNY88cc
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) July 15, 2024
Pennsylvania Daily Star contacted the Sunbury Fire Department on Sunday to confirm Bendele’s relationship with the fire department, ask if it has a social media policy for its employees or volunteers and confirm whether Bendele’s posts violated any policies. The fire department did not respond by the time this article went to press.
Bendele confirmed his resignation on Monday in a now-deleted statement. fasting on his Facebook page, where he claimed he had been threatened after posting about an attempted assassination. He also claimed that his initial post was made before it was confirmed that Trump’s ear had been grazed by a bullet.
“I made a mistake in making that simple statement. I admit it,” Bendele said. “But I can’t threaten to harm those around me who had nothing to do with it.“
He apologised to “all those affected” and said he was “ashamed to have told you about it”.
“I’ve already lost some people very close to me.” Bendele added: “I expect to lose more.”
URGENT: Tony has resigned from his position as a firefighter https://t.co/vUhMeE43AL photo:twitter.com/UzbP61czW6
— Libs of TikTok (@libsofttalk) July 15, 2024
After Bendele deleted the post, Star contacted the fire department to confirm Bendele’s departure but did not receive an immediate response.
Federal law enforcement officials said 20-year-old Thomas Crooks opened fire from outside the Trump rally, striking the former president in the ear and killing one supporter in the crowd. Two others were reported wounded.
Many Republican candidates and elected officials were present at the rally, including U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who was scheduled to appear onstage before the attempted bombing.
Another rally attendee said Star that McCormick was “definitely in the firing line” during assassination attemptwhile Crooks fired over the head of a former Trump administration official, intending to hit the former president.
McCormack he suggested Both he and Senator Bob Casey (Democrat of Pennsylvania) suspended negative advertising for their campaigns after the attack.
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Photo “Tony Bendele” by Tony Bendel.
