The 2026 One Chicago crossover is officially in the books, and the “Reckoning” crossover was without a doubt one of the most intense crossovers the franchise has turned out. Across the three-episode event, the creative teams behind Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago PD pulled out all the stops to give fans a crossover that was filled with unexpected twists and turns but also created a ripple effect that will impact the shows moving forward in the episodes ahead.
Amid the fast-paced nature of the crossover and how much was going on, many fans seem to have missed the fact that the crossover managed to quietly bring back a character who hasn’t been seen on Chicago Fire since season 6.
We’re referring to Daniel di Tomasso, who made a surprise cameo in the “Reckoning” crossover event, reprising his role as Lt. Zachary "Zach" Torbett, a Special Operations Lieutenant of the Hazmat squad in the CFD. Early in the crossover action, Hazmat was called to the scene after it was suspected that dangerous chemicals were behind the deaths of the passengers on the plane. When Hazmat arrived on the scene, it was Zach that was first to the scene and greeted Pascal, who filled him in on the situation.
Interestingly, despite bringing di Tomasso back for the crossover, the writers didn’t give him too much material to work with, as we didn’t even see him suit up and assist in the investigation. Rather than Zach running point for Hazmat and investigation on the ground, it was Severide who ended up suiting up and entering the plane before Zach arrived. The brief nature of his appearance is what led many to overlook the character’s return, with some new viewers likely not connecting the dots on the significance of his return.
We first met Zach back in season 6 when Hazmat responded to a call connected to Firehouse 51. His good looks quickly turned heads, and he entered a brief relationship with Kidd. Their relationship was a flash in the pan, as he broke things off before they got too serious, sensing that Kidd clearly had feelings for her roommate at the time, Severide.
After their breakup, Zach quietly disappeared from the show, which is honestly why it was so unexpected that he popped back up for a brief cameo in the 2026 One Chicago crossover. We’re not sure if perhaps the plan might have been for him to have a larger role at first, or if the cameo was always designed to be a fun Easter egg for longtime fans. Regardless, it was certainly fun to see Zach back in the mix, and we would love to see more of di Tomasso on the show in a larger role.