2016 NJSPBA
Valor Awards
Gold
Medal of
Valor
Alley Cops
Vineland cops foil violent robbery suspect’s escape
Officer
Chris Puglisi
Officer
Nick Maslanich
Officer Gerald
Moughon
Vineland/Buena
Local 266
During the early morning hours of April 17, Vineland/Buena Local 266 Officers Chris Puglisi, Nick Maslanich and Gerald Moughon were dispatched to the Center City Area on a
report of an armed robbery with shots fired.
The man who was robbed was helping a local restaurant
owner fix his fryer. When he went to leave by bicycle, the
restaurant owner asked if the man wanted a ride home, but
the man said he would be fine riding his bike because he lived
nearby.
As the restaurant owner and his dishwasher were leaving,
they heard a scream from the man who had helped them.
He had been attacked, pistol-whipped and mugged by two
armed robbers. The owner was in his pickup truck calling 9-11, and when the two robbers saw this, they shot at him four
times in his vehicle.
Arriving on scene, Officers Maslanich and Puglisi quickly
located and approached two subjects that matched the description of the accused. As the officers approached, the suspects took off in separate directions, and a foot chase began
in which the officers split up to pursue both actors simultaneously.
Officer Puglisi’s chase ended when he found himself in a
dark alley behind the suspect he was chasing. When Puglisi
closed in, the suspect produced a handgun and began fir-
52
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ DECEMBER 2016
ing. As Moughon and Maslanich arrived as backup, Puglisi
returned fire, neutralizing the threat. The other suspect got
away.
Following the incident, Local 266 State Delegate Robert
Magee woke up to “a ton” of missed calls.
“I couldn’t believe what was going on,” he recalled. “I met
with Chris and it was really emotional.”
When the dust settled, Magee hoped to recognize his members’ heroic actions via the NJ State PBA Valor Awards. And
even though the officers were hesitant to accept it (they were
just doing their jobs, after all), the awards committee found it
appropriate to honor Puglisi, Maslanich and Moughon with
the Gold Medal of Valor.
“You write up the members who stand out in your department and who do big things,” Magee affirmed. “They felt like
they didn’t do anything, which is obviously a total lie.”
If not for the acknowledgement of their heroism, the encounter and actions performed by these officers should be
recognized for the learning opportunity presented for all officers across the state.
“It’s definitely an eye opener,” Magee expressed. “Nobody
expects it to happen, so you always have to be aware of your
surroundings.” d