An Aurora fire lieutenant will remain demoted after he and a fellow firefighter ran an Aurora police sergeant off the road with a fire truck last year, an act they called a “prank,” but the targeted officer described as an attempt on his life.
The Aurora Civil Service Commission upheld Lt. John Casessa’s demotion this month, finding he acted in an “undisciplined, unprofessional and immature manner” during the February 25, 2025, incident. The commission reversed the demotion of the truck’s driver, Engineer Ryan Endly, reducing his punishment to a 72-hour unpaid suspension.
The confrontation unfolded on a two-lane road near the southeast city shops. Aurora police Sgt. Tony Spano was driving a marked SUV westbound when the on-duty fire engine approached from the opposite direction. Video obtained by CBS Colorado shows the fire truck’s spotlights flicking on and aiming directly at Spano’s windshield as the engine drifted toward the center line…