Along for the ride
Team Sussex
Joshlee Vadell joins his Atlantic City Local 24 sisters and brothers on the Tour
Commotion ramped up to red-carpet level when riders and
their family members and friends gathered at the completion
of the 2017 Unity Tour. Teams of NJ State PBA Locals lined up
for photos near the bronze seal with the rose through the badge
and the words “National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial”
emblazoned.
But the buzz was thicker than usual. There was a celebrity in
the house.
Joshlee Vadell had come to Washington D.C. and greeted his
Atlantic City Local 24 brothers and sisters who rode the Tour.
Rode the Tour for him. Vadell was shot in the head when re-
sponding to a robbery on Sept. 3, 2016, a catastrophic inju-
ry that left his full recovery in doubt. But Vadell was walking
around the Memorial. Yes, walking with some help, but walking.
And while the Local 24 team rode for those who died, they
clearly rode for one who lived.
“With Josh being so close to being on the Wall, it was tre-
mendous that he was here,” Local 24 President Matt Rogers
expressed, referring to the wall at the memorial where names
of officers lost in the line of duty are inscribed. “We were abso-
lutely thinking about him along the way and everyone who lost
their lives.”
Vadell rose out of his wheelchair to take photos with the
team. He showed off his new baby girl Lucy, whom his wife Lau-
ra was expecting when he was shot. Even though rain fell on
this moment, Vadell provided a ray of sunshine and shared that
he hopes to ride the Tour with Local 24 one year.
Then, he turned to the Local 24 team and thanked them for
this effort.
“I’m so happy and so proud of them,” Vadell began. “I almost
CHECK POINT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43
who made the 300-mile run in 2017. Part of that donation in-
cluded President Pat Colligan presenting the NJ State PBA’s an-
nual $25,000 donation to follow up on its support that began 20
years ago.
“We were here the first year. We’re here the 21st year. We’ll be
here on the 50th. We’ll be here on the 75th. I hope we’re here to
enjoy it,” Colligan stated as he handed over the donation.
From its very first year in 1997 raising $18,000 with 18 mem-
bers participating to now, with a staggering $23 million raised
in total, it’s safe to say that this event has grown to be a major
highlight not solely of National Police Week, but for the law en-
forcement community in general. Throughout the 21 years of
the Unity Tour, Montoure and Executive Director Harry Phillips
have never stopped showing their appreciation for the men and
women who ride for four days through the weather, the fatigue
and the pain to make this event happen.
Montoure didn’t fail to paint the audience a picture of “why
we ride” when he said a few words before the total amount was
announced.
44
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ JUNE 2017
Joshlee Vadell (center) with Atlantic City Local 24 members who rode the
Unity Tour.
cried. That’s how happy I was.”
Vadell also was on hand when the Local 24 team departed
at the start of the Tour. Tom McCabe, Vadell’s partner whose
actions on Sept. 3 helped save his life, noted that Josh offered
some words of inspiration before the team hit the road.
McCabe said he always wanted to ride the Tour, and when
Vadell was hit, he realized there was no time like the present.
“The whole situation wi