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‘You got to kill me’
Single shot halts Elizabeth suspect advancing with knife
A June 29, 2014 attack that could’ve easily turned immediately fatal
was defused by an Elizabeth law enforcement officer who responded to
find an enraged man holding a knife to his ex-girlfriend’s throat.
Earlier the same day, officers responded after the man kicked in the
woman’s apartment door and assaulted her in front of her children. The
attacker vacated the premises before officers arrived on scene at that
time, but police assisted the victim in obtaining a restraining order.
The suspect returned to the woman’s residence that evening, and
Officer Jorge Hidalgo arrived to find bystanders yelling and pointing
down the street, where Hidalgo observed the man holding a large
kitchen knife to the woman’s neck.
Hidalgo exited his vehicle, drew his weapon and repeatedly ordered
the man to drop the knife. In the meantime, the victim broke free, ran
behind Hidalgo and the suspect attempted to turn and run away.
“I yelled, ‘Freeze! Stop! Police! Turn around!,’” Hidalgo recalled. “He
cursed at me and said, ‘You got to kill me,’ before he charged at me.”
The man raised his knife and lunged towards Hidalgo. Fearing for his
life and the life of the victim, Hidalgo fired one round at the charging
suspect, causing him to drop the knife and fall to the ground.
“I was mostly worried about the lady,” recollected Hidalgo. “He was
charging at me and she was behind me, so I was in fear he was going to
hurt (us) with his knife.”
The suspect later succumbed to his injuries.
“It still bothers me a little bit, thinking about what could have happened,” disclosed Hidalgo, who will complete 25 years on the job in January. “Luckily I’ve had good training all these years and I was able to go
home that day to see my wife and kids. To this day I’m still proud of that.”
On the fence
SILVER MEDAL OF VALOR
OFFICER JORGE HIDALGO
ELIZABETH LOCAL 4
For his courageous actions ending a potentially lethal situation,
Hidalgo was awarded the Silver Medal of Valor.
“It’s very humbling,” proclaimed Hidalgo. “It shows people still appreciate this job and it means something to help somebody. After 25 years,
I still love this job and it was nice to be honored tonight with everybody
else and by the PBA.”
Hidalgo was proud to attend the evening with his family and some of
his fellow officers, who continue to act as a support system after the incident.
“They surprised me. People are here that I didn’t expect,” acknowledged Hidalgo. “They’ve been helpful to this day. They still check in and
ask, ‘Are you OK? Do you need anything?’ It means a lot.” d
Camden County Metro officer’s decisive action quells
hit-and-run driver
Camden County Metro Police Officer Kyle Pesce said he wasn’t
thinking about receiving an award for his actions Aug. 8, 2014 – he simply had to save his life and protect those around him.
“I never thought I would be recognized because there are so many
other things that get done in this job every day. I was surprised and
honored,” Pesce said.
On that summer Friday last year, Camden County Metro Police
were dispatched after a call was received that two pedestrians were
involved in a hit-and-run motor vehicle accident.
When officers arrived at the scene of the crash, they observed one
victim lying on the ground, clenching the license plate of the vehicle
which struck him, then fled. Police immediately issued a stop-andhold alert for the vehicle. The registration and address was also broadcast.
Pesce and his partner responded to the area of the driver’s
residence, attempting to locate the vehicle suspected in the hit-andrun. When the officers observed the suspected vehicle, Pesce attempted to stop it after activating his emergency lights and siren. The
suspect led Pesce and his partner on a lengthy vehicle pursuit that
returned to the suspect’s residence, where the suspect crashed
through the chain link fence gate of his driveway.
As Pesce exited his car and approached the suspect’s vehicle, he saw
reverse lights, heard the engine rev and saw the vehicle coming
directly towards him. Pesce dove out of the way of the approaching
vehicle just before it crashed into his squad car.
As Pesce got to his feet, he found his uniform pants had gotten stuck
SILVER MEDAL OF VALOR
OFFICER KYLE PESCE
CAMDEN LOCAL 35
on the chain link fencing in the driveway. Seeing this, the suspect
placed the car in drive and headed back up the driveway towards
Pesce. Pesce was able to free himself and climb onto the fence as the
vehicle passed him, missing him by inches. Pesce then dropped to the
ground, drew his weapon and ran toward the vehicle yelling commands to the driver.
Without warning, the driver again threw the vehicle in reverse. Fearing for his life, Pesce fired his weapon and ended the threat. The suspect later admitte d he was trying to run over Pesce. The suspect was
charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer as well
as numerous other criminal charges.
Through his actions and with extreme personal risk, Pesce not only
saved his life and the life of his partner, but likely the lives of countless
innocent civilians.
Pesce said the incident was something that happened during the
course of his duties and he doesn’t harp on it. He said he returned to
work the next day.
“I went right back to doing what I do each day. It’s just nice to see
someone recognized for doing what we do day in and day out,” said
Pesce, who has served on the force since March 2013. d
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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