Who is Jonathan Kleisner? NY millionaire quits Wall Street and now risks his life for ‘$18/hour’ as paramedic

Jonathan Kleisner, who formerly made millions of dollars on Wall Street, decided to walk away from it all to reinvent his career as a paramedic. Reportedly, it all started when he saw the workings of medics up close during the rescue of one of the members of his hiking party.

After this incident, Kleisner started distancing himself from his Wall Street identity in search of a new one, he told the New York Times during an interview. “It was like a protest,” Kleisner said. “I wasn’t serious. But I was sick of Wall Street.”

Soon he found his new calling and started volunteering in Central Park as an EMT. At one point, he also started juggling his finance job and work as a volunteer medic. Later, he left his Wall Street life behind and worked towards becoming one of the “best trained medics” in the country. He traded his millionaire status for a starting salary of $32,000. The 55-year-old is now a rescue medic, part of the department’s elite cohort.

Kleisner revealed that he often gets asked, “Why would you risk your life for $18 an hour?” He adds that his new job provides him with the same adrenaline and competition he felt while in his previous job. However, as a paramedic, he gets to help others and save lives instead of earning just for himself.

During his interview with the outlet, the elite medic recalled a few instances of him saving people. He talked about saving a man who suffered a stroke while on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. He had also responded to an emergency call during a Broadway show.

One of his painful memories was when he had to respond to a fire scene call in 2022, which was later called the deadliest fire in New York City in the last 30 years. During it, Kleisner saw firefighters bring victims from all across the 19-story building, some of whom were dead. Among the victims, many were children. Reportedly, the fire killed 17 people, leaving 44 others injured. Till today, the paramedic reacts whenever he thinks of the scene. He told the outlet that his neck begins to sweat, his heart rate increases, and he feels short of breath.

Kleisner sees his drastic career shift from millionaire to medic as an “escape.” However, he also acknowledges the trauma that comes with his new job. “You have to learn how to live with all of this.”

According to his LinkedIn bio, he worked at the investment firm for over 17 years, from 1996 to 2013. He then served as one of the trustees at National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), an outdoor skills school.

He joined the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in 2012 as an EMT. He then slowly rose through the ranks to become a member of the elite team and an instructor.

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