Marine veteran who lost both legs in Afghanistan sworn in as NY police officer

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Double-amputee Marine veteran to become police officer

Matias Ferreira shares his story on 'Fox & Friends'

A Long Island man who served in the Marines and lost both legs below the knees after stepping on a bomb in Afghanistan was sworn in Friday as possibly the first fully active duty double amputee police officer in the country.

Matias Ferreira, 28, graduated from the Suffolk County Police Academy in Brentwood, L.I. His first assignment as a precinct patrol officer begins next week. He told Fox 5 New York he isn’t worried if he breaks a leg on the job.

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“If I break my leg I go the trunk of my car and put on a new one and I’m back on duty,” he told the station.

The 2011 blast in Afghanistan shattered his legs, forcing doctors to amputate. The machine-gunner spent nearly a year recovering in a hospital outside Washington.

Ferreira stands on titanium prosthetics, Newsday reported. He dreamed of being a cop as a kid.

Ferreira completed 29-weeks of training at the academy, passing the same rigorous challenges as other recruits.

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He was born in Uruguay and moved to the U.S. when he was 6, Fox 5 reported.

Tiffiany Ferreira said she was proud of her husband.

“To watch my husband achieve his dream that I think most people would thing wasn’t even possible is really special,” she told the station.