A Long Island man who served in the Marines and lost both legs below the knees after stepping on a bomb in Afghanistan was sworn in Friday as possibly the first fully active duty double amputee police officer in the country.
(FOX)- Matias Ferreira, 28, graduated from the Suffolk County Police Academy in Brentwood, L.I. His first assignment as a precinct patrol officer begins next week. He told Fox 5 New York he isn’t worried if he breaks a leg on the job.
“If I break my leg I go the trunk of my car and put on a new one and I’m back on duty,” he told the station.
The 2011 blast in Afghanistan shattered his legs, forcing doctors to amputate. The machine-gunner spent nearly a year recovering in a hospital outside Washington.
Ferreira stands on titanium prosthetics, Newsday reported. He dreamed of being a cop as a kid.
Ferreira completed 29-weeks of training at the academy, passing the same rigorous challenges as other recruits.