‘Painful’: Helmet stolen from fallen Anderson firefighter’s roadside memorial

WILLIAMSTON, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Someone stole the helmet from a roadside memorial honoring a fallen Anderson firefighter, and his crew wants it back.

Daniel Bagwell was a firefighter with the Anderson Fire Department working toward a promotion to sergeant when an oncoming car struck and killed him in 2022. The coroner’s office said he had run out of gas along Midway Road and was attempting to refuel his vehicle when he was hit.

Helmet held special meaning for crew

After his death, Bagwell’s crew placed his bright yellow and red helmet, with his name on it, at the top of a cross along Midway Road to honor him. This week, someone took it.

Battalion Chief Brian Black of the Anderson Fire Department said the theft compounded an already painful loss.

“When we ride by the spot, it’s already painful, it’s a little more painful to see his memory disgraced a little bit like that,” Black said. “Daniel deserves a little better than that.”

Black said the helmet represented more than a piece of equipment.

“You feel a little bit betrayed. Being personal friends with Daniel... it does hurt. It hurts to see something like that vandalized and the memorial that was set up so we could all remember what Daniel stood for, not be there,” Black said.

Bagwell served the Upstate for more than a decade

Bagwell worked with the Anderson Fire Department for 11 years and served across the Upstate with several other departments. Those who knew him described him as a leader with a sense of humor and someone others wanted by their side.

Black remembered him simply: “He was my sergeant and my friend.”

Bagwell is survived by a wife and a four-year-old daughter. His crew said they hope his daughter will one day see his memorial restored.

“We’d really like to see that memorial reestablished and that helmet brought back in,” Black said. “So when we drive by the place we miss Daniel, we’d still be reminded of what he stood for in his life.”

Anyone with information about the helmet is asked to come forward.

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