Top Cop
They’re the Top
Vadell and McCabe wow NAPO Top Cops award with their never-give-up passion
Amidst law enforcement officers who thwarted a terrorist at-
tack at Port Authority, who responded to the mass shooting at a
county music concert in Las Vegas and who took out the deranged
shooter at the annual congressional baseball game in Washington
D.C., Josh Vadell and Thomas McCabe wondered if they merited
being Top Cops. The latest and perhaps greatest recognition for
the Atlantic City Local 24 brothers, partners and best friends --
being honored a National Association of Police Organizations Top
Cops during National Police Week -- moved Josh and Tommy to
be understandably overwhelmed.
But at the conclusion of the awards dinner, many of the cops
at the event stood in line to shake hands with Vadell and McCabe
and express overwhelming admiration for what occurred on that
fateful Sept. 3, 2016 night. The silver anniversary edition of Top
Cops celebrated the survive-and-rescue gallantry that has given
law enforcement so much of its heroics recently, and the most
stirring evidence of that on this May 14 evening had to be Vadell
and McCabe.
When they stepped up to the stage to accept their awards, Josh
flashed that thumbs-up that has become his signature since the
day he was carted out of the hospital following the life-threaten-
ing shot to the head. The thumbs-up went national on this night;
there was #VegasStrong, #NewYorkStrong and #VadellStrong. The
ovation when their names were called lasted a full minute, and it
only intensified when Josh put up his thumb. Another five out-
bursts of applause augmented the acceptance speech.
One of those came when Josh announced, “Tommy, you saved
my life. And this wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for him.”
Another two ovations resulted from Vadell’s tribute to his wife
Laura: “I want to thank my beautiful wife, Laura, who is sitting
right over there.” After that roar, he continued, “What wasn’t part
of the story – my wife was nine months pregnant at the time of
my shooting. People said I’m the badass for going through what I
went through. She is more badass than I am.”
Josh wowed and inspired with the humor that has been the
most effective dose of medicine for his recovery. He let Top Cops
experience this by sending up such punchlines as:
“When they told me I would have a couple minutes to speak,
did they not realize that I was shot in the head and I could get up
here and say anything?”
And:
“I considered coming up here to speak and giving the excuse
that every guy in here is used to hearing: ‘Not tonight, honey, I
have a headache.’”
Nobody laughed harder than McCabe, who can confirm that
every joke and every step mean that his best friend is getting bet-
ter and will be ready to walk down the aisle as his best man for
his November wedding. McCabe stood behind Vadell during the
acceptance speech, the place he is comfortable with and the spot
where he wants to be.
30
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ JUNE 2018
Josh Vadell, left, and
Thomas McCabe were
honored as Top Cops by
the National Association
of Police Organizations
during National Police
Week.
In his acceptance speech, Josh Vadell honored his wife Laura for being the
strength and source of his recovery.