Warranted recognition
Dunellen arrest warrant leads to battle with an armed suspect
Serving a routine arrest warrant turned violent when Dunellen
Local 146 Sergeant Christopher Beenders, Officer Jonathan DeAngelo and Officer Christopher Lovell arrived at a fugitive’s home on
March 28, 2014.
When the trio arrived at a local residence to serve the warrant,
they were directed to the home’s dimly-lit basement, where the
male fugitive was hiding.
The man attempted to escape as officers headed downstairs,
then retrieved a hidden handgun before scuffling with officers.
During the chaos, the man pulled the trigger, firing past the officers before accidently shooting himself in the neck.
“I was just trying to think about taking him into custody,”
recalled Beenders. “I didn’t think much about my own safety. It
happened so quickly; it kind of took me aback. We were lucky.”
Beenders, DeAngelo and Lovell subdued the suspect and handcuffed him before attending to his wound.
“In the scope of what we do every day, it’s one of those things
that went beyond what we normally do,” emphasized Local 146
State Delegate Joe Dudley, who nominated his fellow officers.
“They didn’t hesitate, they didn’t think twice and they went in and
did what needed to be done.”
For their combined effort in arresting an armed fugitive, the officers were presented with a Unit Citation.
“I was overwhelmed,” recognized Beenders. “You don’t think
about getting any awards while doing it; it’s just another day. It’s the
job. So it’s special and I’m very grateful.”
Dudley emphasized it was not just
another day for his fellow officers.
“Despite what this guy was trying to
2015
do to them, they went above and
beyond and took care of him until
help
arrived, and then we took care of
S
D
AWAR
them,” stressed Dudley.
Valor
UNIT CITATION
SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER L. BEENDERS
OFFICER JONATHAN DEANGELO
OFFICER CHRISTOPHER LOVELL
DUNELLEN LOCAL 146
IACULLO MARTINO, LLC
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
(973) 2351550
Twenty years of experience achieving results
for the Law Enforcement Community
Law 3irm members are Certi3ied by the
New Jersey Supreme Court
• Criminal Law Anthony J. Iacullo
• Matrimonial Law Steven J. Martino
• Municipal Law Joshua H. Reinitz
247 Franklin Avenue, Nutley NJ 07110
www.iacullomartino.com
24 Hr Access for Law Enforcement Of%icers
(973) 809-3702
www.njcopsmagazine.com ■ DECEMBER 2015
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