JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville firefighter has been reassigned after the city discovered inflammatory statements posted on social media.
According to a city spokeswoman, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department was made aware of at least one social media post by veteran firefighter Anthony Treadwell last week.
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The spokesperson said after JFRD saw the post, it immediately took action.
“While the matter is under investigation, Treadwell has been reassigned to JFRD HQ and will have no official interaction with the general public,” said Nikki Kimbleton, the city’s public affairs director.
The city did not say what post was being investigated, but Twitter users flagged several posts from a Twitter account that used the name Anthony Treadwell. It wasn’t immediately clear if that account belongs to Treadwell.
The @anthonytreadw11 account, which has since been removed from Twitter, responded at one point to a tweet that made reference to the ongoing protests in Portland, saying “It’s time for a purge!"
The same Twitter account also hinted at a connection to the Florida Proudboys, an organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Posts from the account also seemed to indicate the user was employed as a firefighter.
“I’m in a fire dept of over 1200 men and women,” one tweet reads.
According to a LinkedIn profile, Treadwell is a lieutenant and has been with JFRD for more than 17 years.