unge
A Pl o
t ber
remem
Despite the 23-degree weather and ocean water at
least as cold, Holmdel Township Local 239 Detective
Eric Hernando went back in for second plunge.
“There were a few left in our group who hadn’t gone
in yet and somehow they convinced me to jump in a
second time,” said Hernando.
But the double dip easily could have been to honor
a higher calling. The Local 239 members combined
with firefighters from Holmdel Fire Company No. 2 to
take the Plunge in remembrance of fallen NYPD Cops
Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos on the front.
Team Holmdel sported powder blue shirts with “In
Memory Of” the two fallen New York City police
officer’s badges. The firefighters have been plunging
the past five years, and each year they have been honoring a first responder lost in the line of duty.
They asked Hernando and Local 239 members to
join the effort this year and remember Liu and
Ramos. The team of 27 plungers with another dozen or so supporters in attendance
raised more than $13,000 for Special
Olympics New Jersey.
“We wanted to be identifiable as a
group,” said Hernando as to why they
all wore matching long-sleeved tshirts including the team’s very own
polar bear mascot. “We do the Torch
Run every year and we figured this is
another way to support the Special Olympics so we
wanted to get involved. Knowing you’re doing it for
the kids pushed us all to do it. d
The man behind the mascot
If you’ve ever strolled the streets of Seaside Heights on the day of
the Polar Bear Plunge, you see many memorable sights. From the
PBA members who have already discarded their shirts two hours
before splashdown to the plungers in crazy costumes, it’s a panorama of the unexpected.
But, there is one man you have seen year after year.
Did we say man?
Make that one polar bear.
Yes, the Polar Bear Plunge would not be the event it is without a
polar bear or two. And one man has taken it upon himself to be the
unofficial mascot of the day.
Since 1999, Joe Sarnoski, retired member of Lyndhurst Local 202,
has attended the event in his fury white costume, red gym shorts,
powder blue t-shirt stamped with the NJ State PBA logo, a matching
beret and a pair of very cool oversized sunglasses.
“I plunged for a few years. But then I started wearing the
costume,” said Sarnoski.
What brought on the change? Sarnoski’s wife liked the idea so
much she made the costume and told him to put it on.
So now every year, plungers, spectators, and New Jersey’s Special
Olympic athletes seek out the illustrious mascot to have their picture
snapped with him. And Sarnoski brings smiles to each and every
one.
“Thousands of people take my picture and nobody knows who I
am,” said Sarnoski, as he briefly lifted up the costume for a breath of
fresh air displaying a grin so wide it could hurt. “It feels good. I enjoy
it and I enjoy them.”
Sarnoski wasn’t worried about the cold impeding those set to take
the plunge. He was right. Nearly 6,000 plungers braved the cold and
jumped into waters just above freezing.
Sarnoski explained “why” the Special Olympics continually gains
supporters perfectly.
“It’s special because of the athletes,” said Sarnoski. “They are the
ones that give you the greatest accomplishment you could ever get
by just watching what they do and watching how they develop.” d
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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MARCH 2015
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