Valor Awards
Lifesaving Award
Sergeant Gregory Bogert
Riverdale Local 335
2016 NJSPBA
Valor Awards
Highway to help
There’ s no specific training that can fully prepare an officer for encountering somebody who wants to take his or her own life. In these situations, it’ s not a matter of use of force, or even the backup that’ s hopefully on the way. It’ s about the natural instinct that kicks into gear to save a life, and the actions made within those few fragile seconds that can determine it all.
On April 25, Sergeant Gregory Bogert responded to a call of a man walking back and forth on an Interstate 287 overpass in Riverdale. Upon arriving at the scene, he found a distraught man on the ledge of the highway bridge. The decisions he made next are what earned Sergeant Bogert of Riverdale Local 335 a Lifesaving Award of Valor.
“ He looked at me, and I could tell by just the look on his face – he went pale and looked at the edge of the bridge,” recalled Sergeant Bogert.“ That’ s when I started yelling‘ no, no, no!’ And he took off.”
The mere seconds that it took to secure the suicidal man on the ground felt like slow motion for Sergeant Bogert, who immediately jumped out of his car to chase the male and grab him before he was able to make a leap that would have ultimately ended his life. But it wasn’ t just the man’ s life that Sergeant Bogert was concerned about.
“ In the back of my mind also were the innocent people who were driving underneath( the bridge) who were just going to work or going to lunch, or whatever they were doing,” he said.“ I can’ t imagine having someone land on my windshield as I’ m driving down the road.”
Sergeant Bogert’ s response that day spared a man’ s life, and it turned out to be a day that changed his life. After the incident, Sergeant Bogert personally designed and sold Riverdale PD T-shirts to promote suicide prevention. He raised and donated $ 8,000 to the Butler Boro to be implemented in community suicide prevention programs.
Sergeant Bogert accepted the Lifesaving Award at the Valor Awards in the presence of his peers and noted the positive impact of his actions.
“ It was really nice to be acknowledged for what had happened that day,” stated Sergeant Bogert.“ It was quite refreshing to see the law enforcement community together in one room and the support that they were giving to one another, it was a great honor.” d
Lifesaving Award
Sergeant Jorge Tronza Officer Javier Hernandez Officer Daniel Gorab Officer Keith Watts Officer Andrew Mikhail Sergeant Michael LaRosa Lodi Local 26
Officers swarm fire to make daring rescue
At 4 a. m. on Oct. 20, 2015, Sergeant Tronza along with Officers Hernandez, Gorab, Watts and Mikhail, responded to a multi-family dwelling fully engulfed in flames. Ignoring their own safety, they entered the burning structure numerous times to evacuate the occupants, some of whom had to be carried out. Ten residents were rescued without any injury. d www. njcopsmagazine. com ■ DECEMBER 2016 61