Valor Awards
Gold Medal of Valor
Peter Hammer, Jr.
Angel Padilla
Mark A. Kahana
David Guzman
Linden Local 42
Remembering Linden
If there has been an awards ceremony to honor the coura-
geous acts of New Jersey law enforcement in 2016-17, chanc-
es are that officers from Linden 42 have been present: NAPO
Top Cops, 200 Club Medal of Valor, Honor Legion Officer of
the Year. The list of accolades continues for the four brave men
who caught the terrorist responsible for the Seaside Park and
Chelsea bombings on Sept. 19, 2016.
At the PBA Valor Awards, Angel Padilla, Mark Kahana, Pe-
ter Hammer, Jr. and David Guzman once more stood before
a crowd of cheering officers, who view this group of fearless
first responders as ultimate heroes. Even after being honored
across the nation for the event that brought a terrorist into
custody, the memories from that day came flooding back as
the Local 42 officers were presented with the Gold Medal of
Valor.
“I don’t think it’ll ever be behind us,” states Padilla. “I defi-
nitely think this is something we’re going to relive for the rest
of our lives.”
Padilla was the first to respond to the report of a man sleep-
ing in a storefront vestibule and quickly recognized him as the
suspect who planted multiple bombs from Manhattan to the
Jersey Shore during a two-day period. After Padilla began a
brief conversation with the suspect, the man pulled out a gun
and shot Padilla in the chest. The gunman attempted to flee
the scene but was stopped by Hammer, who tried to run the
suspect over with his patrol vehicle and was shot in the skull
through the windshield of his car. Kahana and Guzman also
exchanged gunfire with the suspect before taking him into
custody.
Padilla and Kahana have retired since the incident, but they
still are reminded of the actions that they took that day every
time they pass the Linden intersection where the incident oc-
curred.
“I always look at the wall where Officer Hammer was shoot-
ing at him,” Padilla admits. “You can still see the bullet holes
on the wall on the corner of Elizabeth (Avenue) and Roselle
(Street).”
Guzman and Hammer are both back on the job, so pass-
ing by the intersection has become business as usual. Still, the
bullet holes that remain on the street corner and the memo-
ries of the adrenaline-pumping pursuit are never too far away.
“I pass by it daily working the district,” Guzman shares.
“Sometimes I think about it, sometimes I don’t.”
Though the memories never fade, the officers take solace in
that the terrorist, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was found guilty at his
trial this past October on all four counts he was charged with.
“I’m a cop’s cop,” says Hammer. “I just want to go to work,
do my job and have the right thing happen for everybody.”
In the meantime, Padilla, Kahana, Hammer and Guzman
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ DECEMBER 2017
continue to live their lives, serving the community as best
they know how, while continuing to receive recognition for the
event that has made them national heroes.
“I appreciate the applause and recognition, but at the end
of the day we just did our jobs,” Padilla explains. “We did what
we were trained to do.” d