Sal Princiotta, of Scottsdale, Ariz., was found dead in his home on May 14.

Princiotta is the cousin of Ray Downey, who won a bronze medal at the 2006 World Beach Wrestling Championships in Antalya, Turkey. Princiotta accompanied Downey to the Beach World Championships, took photos of the athletes in action and supported the U.S. Beach and Sombo athletes during their competition.

He was a retired New York City Firefighter who served at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. 

The Downey family also included two other successful wrestlers, Chuck and Joe, all from Deer Park High School on Long Island, N.Y. Princiotta also grew up in Deer Park, where he played football. He supported all of his cousins and their teammates in their wrestling careers.

Princiotta's uncle (and the Downey brother's father) was Raymond Downey, the New York City Fire Chief who was among the heroes who died on duty while leading the rescue effort at the World Trade Center on September 11. Chief Raymond Downey received the Medal of Courage from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum along with fellow wrestlers Jeremy Glick and Mark Whitford who also were heroes and perished on September 11.

According to family members, Princiotta arrived on the scene at Ground Zero after both of the World Trade Towers had fallen. He was very close to the area when Building 7 collapsed and fell. Princiotta suffered from breathing difficulties the rest of his life.

Police have indicated that Princiotta was murdered. A suspect was identified, and killed himself during an arrest attempt. Details are below.
Dead firefighters stolen items found

Princiotta served 15 years for the Fire Department of New York. He received the Thomas R. Elsasser Memorial Medal, honoring his bravery. He also played on the FDNY football team. He was among a small group of FDNY firefighters who biked to Los Angeles to raise $29,000 for the Uniformed Firefighters Association Widows' and Children's Fund.

His interest in photography was helpful when Princiotta attended the first World Beach Championships and the World Sombo Championships in Antalya, Turkey. He took numerous photos of the U.S. athletes in both styles, sharing them with the delegation.

Pages of Sal Princiotta photos from World Beach and Sombo Championships
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stp44/page2/

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/stp44/page3/

Services for Princiotta have already been held. Donations can be made to the Engine 9 Ladder 33 Relief Fund, 42 Great Jones St., New York, NY (in care of Steve Nuzzi)

Obituary for Salvatore Princiotta, Jr.