Joe Minoso has played Joe Cruz on Chicago Fire since the pilot episode, but the Season 9 finale threatened all of that.
Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas was also not kidding when he said that viewers were going to be angry with how the season finale ended.
After an emotional night for many of the characters, the episode made it to the final incident of the hour. And boy was the show left on a huge cliffhanger.
Right as we were all getting introduced to Capp’s girlfriend for the first time, the tones went off and we learned that the team was heading out for a water rescue.
Severide, Cruz, Capp, and Tony suited up and went into the water to try to save a man who was trapped in a capsized boat.
A dramatic Chicago Fire cliffhanger
While the entire rescue squad was in the boat, they found the man who had been trapped. They were preparing an exit when the boat shifted and debris blocked their way out. Most of the squad noted that they were out of air, and the water was rising within the compartment where they were stuck.
As the rest of Firehouse 51 watched from the shore, the episode faded to black, and no answers were given about what had happened to the team. Now, it could be a while until any answers come out, leading to some understandable frustrations from viewers at home.
Below is a clip of that dramatic scene that ended Chicago Fire Season 9, Episode 16 for anyone who needs to see it again.
Will Joe Cruz die on Chicago Fire?
There have been no reports of actor Joe Minoso wanting to leave the show or not getting brought back for the next season of One Chicago. Joe Cruz is also such a beloved character that it would be a huge surprise if the show decided to kill him off. At the same time, the writers have done it before to other fan favorites.
When Chicago Fire killed off firefighter Otis, it came as a huge surprise both because the fans loved him and because he was always serving as the comedy relief for Firehouse 51. His death hit the viewers hard and revealed that the show was willing to kill off important characters to push the story forward.
We don’t think Joe Cruz is going to die, but worse things have happened before on the show.
More new episodes of Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire Season 10 will begin in Fall 2021 on NBC. The network already renewed all three Chicago-based shows so we have a lot more episodes to look forward to.
It is during the Season 10 premiere when we will find out for sure what has happened with firefighter Joe Cruz and if he survived that boat accident. It’s very likely, though, that if actor Joe Minoso has decided to leave the show, that the news will get leaked at some point during the upcoming summer months.
Chicago Fire returns to NBC in Fall 2021.