NJ Cops May18 | Page 75

Nutley Local State Delegate named Officer of the Year On April 13, Nutley VFW Post 493 honored Nutley Local 33 State Delegate PJ Sandomenico as the Nutley Police Officer of the Year for his heroic lifesaving response in 2017. On April 2, 2017, Officer Sandomenico was patrolling the southeast side of town when a call came over the police radio of a 31-year-old female who was choking at the Nutley Museum. Without being dispatched, Officer Sandomenico responded to the museum on the southwest side of town to render aid. He was the first officer on scene, at which time he was able to locate the victim in the rear of the building. When arriving, Offi- cer Sandomenico noticed that the victim, who suffers from ce- rebral palsy, was on the verge of losing consciousness. She was unresponsive and began to turn blue. Officer Sandomenico’s quick response made use of his train- ing as an EMT and as a law enforcement officer, and he imme- diately began to perform the Heimlich maneuver on the victim. Within seconds, Officer Sandomenico was able to clear her blocked airway, at which time she became responsive and start- ed to regain her normal color. d www.njcopsmagazine.com ■ MAY 2018 75