Maryland

FBI Agent, Fire Lt. Remembered by Family, Friends After Fatal Crash

A FBI agent and a state fire marshal who were killed on Friday while standing on the shoulder of a highway at the scene of a traffic crash are being remembered by family, friends and co-workers.

FBI Supervisory Special Agent Carlos Wolff, 36, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Deputy Chief State Fire Marshal Sander Cohen, 33, died when they were struck by a car as they waited for help after Wolff's car crashed on Interstate 270 in Rockville.

"Our Carlos was an amazing father, husband, uncle and brother who made us all very proud," according to a statement from the Wolff family. "He loved serving his country as a part of the FBI. He was always so helpful and giving, not just to his friends but strangers too. Our hearts are broken. We appreciate your prayers during this difficult time."

Wolff leaves behind a wife and two children. He was a graduate of American University.

Gordon Johnson, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Field Office, said Wolff had worked for 11 years in the investigative division at the FBI's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

"The loss will be felt by the entire FBI family, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Wolff family and friends,'' Johnson said.

In addition to his duties with the state fire marshal's office, Cohen was also a lieutenant with the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department. The call for the crash came in at Cohen's own fire station, and a fellow firefighter was the first one on the scene.

"[The firefighter] found him in the road and started CPR and started breathing for him and, unfortunately, she discovered, looked and recognized him," said Eric Bernard, president of the Rockville Fire Department. "And it was very traumatic for her and the shifts."

Firefighters and police escorted Cohen's body during a procession from downtown Baltimore to the Danzansky-Goldberg Funeral Home in Rockville on Saturday.

"I don't think there was a dry eye in this house or anywhere in Rockville. People stopped on the corner, people saluted, cars pulled over, people came out of restaurants. It was very touching," Bernard said.

Cohen had been volunteering since he was just 16. 

"It's hard to believe he's not here. We saw him yesterday," Bernard said. "We'll miss him tremendously. The shock and the reality haven't abated yet."

"We’re gonna miss Lt. Cohen. We will miss him dearly here and we’re saddened by it," Rockville Fire Department Chief Jim Vagonis said.

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