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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ DECEMBER 2014
2014 Valor Awards – Lifesaving Award
The real award is saving a brother officer
On Jan. 9, 2014, at approximately 6:14 p.m.,
Michael DiBuono, president of East
Brunswick Local 145, had gone into his basement alongside his wife, Tracy, to check on
the home’s water pressure, when he proceeded to have a massive heart attack.
Tracy immediately yelled up to her children to call 9-1-1. She then instructed the
children – both less than 10-years-old – to run
over to the neighbor, a paramedic, for his
help. The neighbor arrived just as Michael
stopped breathing, and he and Tracy began to
perform CPR.
Meanwhile, Toms River Local 137 Patrolman Nicholas Franco responded to the call.
“It wasn’t even my post,” Franco acknowledged. “I was just the closest officer to the
scene.”
Patrolman William Hutton was not far
behind.
“I live maybe two blocks from Mike and I
Patrolman William Hutton
Patrolman Nicholas Franco
Toms River Local 137
just went in the house to eat dinner,” Hutton
recalled. “I gave my wife a kiss, picked up my
two-year-old and then got the call. I dropped
my son and said ‘Daddy’s gotta go’ and left the
house.”
Hutton arrived to find Franco working on
DiBuono with the bag-valve-mask, oxygen
and AED that Franco had brought. Two
shocks, a trip to the hospital and a lengthy
recovery later, and DiBuono was standing
beside Franco and Hutton as the New Jersey
State PBA awarded the two heroes the Lifesaving Award.
“A lot of times I get speechless,” DiBuono
said after the ceremony. “The doctor told me
that if any part of the whole wheel was off by
30 seconds, the outcome would be completely different and I’m not standing here today. I
thank my wife and my kids but these two guys
coming – when a guy who’s not working that
post and another who’s home eating dinner
with his family – to do what these two guys did
for me, it’s special.
“All the awards aside, the bond that we now
have, these two guys and myself and my family, that’s special. That’s the best part.”
Meeting their great expectations
Lieutenant Thomas Herbst
Sergeant James Paterno
Patrolman Craig Jeremiah
Patrolman Michael Peterson
Patrolman Christopher Morrison
Manville PBA Local 236
Manville Lieutenant Thomas Herbst admitted that there is no training for most acts of
heroism.
“You get sent to the call and do what’s
expected of you,” he continued. “The day in
question everybody stepped up to the plate and
did what you expected.”
That day was Dec. 19, 2013 when members
of Manville Local 236 were dispatched to the
report of a structure fire with possible entrapment. Lieutenant Herbst, Patrolman Craig Jeremiah, Patrolman Michael Peterson and
Patrolman Christopher Morrison responded to
the scene. Sergeant James Paterno, who was at
headquarters cleaning out his locker because
he was just days from retirement, heard the call
and also responded to the scene.
Upon arrival they were advised by a neigh-
Man’s best friend becomes a child’s worst enemy
There might be nothing worse than a call
involving a child. That’s why, on July 3, 2014,
New Brunswick Local 23 Officers Michael
Phommathep, James Hoover, Kevin Conway
and Raymond Hansen raced to the rescue of a
4-year-old girl being attacked by Pit Bulls.
“It’s pouring rain – there’s thunder and lightning – you can barely see in front of the car,”
Phommathep explained. “I told Hoover, who I
was riding with, we had to get there.”
The officers ent \