A tribute to ‘Axe’
Renegade Pigs roll in to honor PAPD officer lost on 9/11
■ STORY BY JOHN "WIZARD" SALIM
■ PHOTOS BY JOHN SALIM, LISA SALIM AND
NICOLE HICKMAN
The tributes to the victims of the 9/11
tragedy and the first responders lost at the
World Trade Center that day flowed with
respect, honor and solemn celebration that the 15th anniversary
certainly stirred. Amidst the reading of the names, the sounds of
the pipes and drums and the daylong vigil emerged a roar, the
omnipresent sound of the Renegade Pigs honoring one of their
own.
Members of the Renegade Pigs
Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club
came from 11 states and Washington, D.C., to commemorate member Paul “Axe” Laszczynski (pictured center), one
of the 37 Port Authority officers who died on 9/11.
Club members travelled from as far away as
Washington State and Illinois to support the
North Jersey Chapter of Renegade Pigs in honoring Laszczynski, a member of Port Authority Local
116.
On Saturday, Sept. 10, a group of 77 bikes
pulled out of the La Quinta hotel in Clifton, where
the club hubbed for the weekend. Assisted by
New Jersey State Police, the Port Authority PD, the
Clifton PD and units and motor officers from several other departments, the Pigs travelled the
New Jersey Turnpike to the PAPD's PATH Command in Jersey City, where Laszczynski had been
assigned. He was one of 13 officers stationed
there lost in the attack.
After a meeting with officers assigned to the
terminal, a brief ceremony at the Command's
9/11 memorial was held. From there, the group
rode to Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington
where Laszczynski is buried to hold a service of
remembrance, assisted by Chaplain David Boone
(Detective retired) and Captain Robert Kneer of
the Fair Lawn PD, along with honor guards from
the PAPD and Bergen County Sheriff's Office and
the Port Authority PD Pipes & Drums.
On Sunday, the numbers increased as approximately 100 bikes escorted by
units and motor officers from
the Passaic County and Bergen
County Sheriff's Offices left the
hotel bound for the midtown
New York City starting point of
New York Governor Andrew
Cuomo's World Trade Center
Memorial Ride. This was the
fourth year of the WTC Ride,
which follows the route taken
by FDNY Rescue One from West
43rd Street to the west side of
the city to the World Trade Center.
They were met by more club members from
Albany and Long Island. In all, 120 bikes represented the Renegade Pigs among more than 700 that
participated. Honored guests included NYC PBA
President Pat Lynch, NYC Uniformed Firefighter's
Association President Steve Cassidy, FDNY Chaplain Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye and actor Kevin James. After
lunch and opening ceremonies, the riders departed for the World Trade Center, where they toured
the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
The scope of the weekend's events and the
efficiency and professionalism of the officers who
safely escorted members of this national organization comprised of active and retired public
safety officers was extremely impressive. The
North Jersey Chapter expressed its gratitude to
those agencies that unhesitatingly provided
resources and expertise to make the weekend's
events a possibility. d
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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OCTOBER 2016
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