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Maximo Vasquez Jr., 43 years old and a veteran captain of the Miami City Fire and Rescue Department, was arrested last Saturday by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office on multiple domestic violence charges against his wife, according to county jail records.
The charges filed include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault, robbery with physical force, and unlawful deprivation of liberty.
This is Vasquez's second arrest in less than a year, raising alarms about the oversight mechanisms within the emergency department.
What happened on Saturday morning
According to the arrest report, the incident began when Vasquez's wife was about to go to the gym, and he called her to demand that she return home.
Upon arrival, Vasquez exited the residence with a hammer in an aggressive manner and threatened to break the windows of his car if he did not enter.
The report indicates that Vasquez "appeared to be under the influence of alcohol" and that "he became extremely agitated by the victim's gym outfit."
To prevent his wife from leaving, he placed screws under the tires of the Tesla she was driving and disabled the vehicle's ignition system.
When the woman got out of the car to remove the screws, Vasquez grabbed her wrists and forcefully snatched both phones from her.
Once inside the home, according to the report cited by WSVN, Vasquez "got on top of the victim and started slapping her in the face several times," headbutted her, hit her on the head with her own phone, and ripped her clothing off.
When the woman tried to leave the house, Vasquez followed her, grabbed her by the hair, and pushed her back inside.
The victim, terrified, denied the events in front of the officers
An anonymous call to 911 alerted the Sheriff’s deputies about the disturbance at the residence.
Upon arrival, the victim, frightened, initially denied that anything had happened and said that she did not need assistance.
However, he later went to a hospital complaining of a severe headache as a result of the attack, where the officers recorded his statements and obtained an arrest warrant for Vasquez.
On Monday, Vasquez appeared before a judge who set an alternative bail of $17,500 and ordered him not to have contact with the victim, as well as prohibiting him from possessing firearms or other weapons.
A history of incidents that raises questions
This is not Vasquez's first run-in with the law.
In June 2025, the captain was arrested after calling 911 to report his wife's disappearance and ended up verbally and physically assaulting the responding officers.
In that incident, Vasquez was "visibly angry and shouting" and even threw a case card at one of the officers.
In the body camera video released in August 2025, he is heard saying: "My wife is missing, is this all I get? Screw you, man."
The video of the firefighter captain's arrest received extensive media coverage at the time.
That case was dismissed in March of this year after Vasquez completed a mentoring program, a condition that allowed him to retain his position as a captain with 16 years of service.
Just two months after the dismissal of those charges, Vasquez has been arrested again, this time for more serious domestic violence allegations.
The department's response
The Miami Fire and Rescue Department issued a statement on Monday acknowledging the arrest.
"The Miami Fire and Rescue Department is aware of an incident involving a firefighter with 16 years of service who was arrested on Saturday by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office. At this time, we have not been in contact with the individual. Once contact is established, the department will conduct a thorough internal investigation in accordance with our policies and procedures," the statement, cited by local media, specifies.
The institution has not revealed whether Vasquez has been suspended or placed on leave preventively while the judicial process unfolds.
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