After weeks of mystery, Chicago Fire finally peeled back the layers on newcomer Sal Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente) — and the revelation about his father, Ramon “Ray” Vasquez, may explain everything about the firefighter’s guarded personality and inner turmoil.
The Secret Behind Sal Vasquez’s Past
Since arriving at Firehouse 51, Vasquez has kept his past close to the vest. Fans learned early on that he briefly attended the police academy before switching careers, but the real bombshell dropped when it was revealed that his father, a former detective, served ten years in prison for planting evidence at a murder scene.
That father, Ramon Vasquez — played by veteran actor Gonzalo Menendez — resurfaced during the episode “Ghosts,” shaking Sal’s carefully rebuilt life to its core.
A Complicated Father-Son Dynamic
Vasquez’s relationship with his father is anything but simple. Ramon insists he was wrongfully imprisoned, claiming the evidence-tampering charges were the result of corruption inside the department. When he reached out to his son from prison, it wasn’t for reconciliation — it was for help.
Vasquez managed to get his hands on the case file that destroyed his father’s career. What he found only deepened the mystery: a missing medic report that could prove the murder weapon was already present at the crime scene. In other words, it might clear Ray’s name.
But during a tense prison visit, Ramon dismissed his son’s efforts. He didn’t want proof — he wanted redemption. And he made it clear that Vasquez’s job at Firehouse 51 might exist only because of “favors” he’d pulled years earlier within the CPD and CFD.
“Can’t you help me with that, like I helped you?” Ramon asked, his tone cold and commanding.
That sinister question left Vasquez visibly shaken, showing that even from behind bars, his father still wields control over his life.
Gonzalo Menendez: The Actor Behind the Role
Gonzalo Menendez brings real gravitas to the role of Ray Vasquez. Fans may recognize him from 24, CSI, The Mentalist, Breaking Bad, and Bosch: Legacy. With a career spanning more than three decades, Menendez’s addition to Chicago Fire adds weight to an already emotionally charged storyline.
The Case That Changed Everything
The crime that destroyed Ray Vasquez’s career involved the murder of Lindsay Belfort, a woman killed by a vengeful ex. As the lead investigator, Ramon was accused of planting evidence, allowing the killer to walk free. Now, from prison, he wants Sal to convince Lindsay’s widower to testify for him at his parole hearing — a request that forces Sal into an impossible moral position.
As Vasquez battles his father’s manipulation and his own guilt, it’s clear this storyline is far from over. His quest for truth could either clear his father’s name… or destroy his own career in the process.
