By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Detective Daniel Gladney and police Officer Joseph Radlinsky will receive the National Liberty Museum’s Heroes of Valor Award next month for their role in preventing an armed robbery at the AT&T store on Princeton Avenue last year.
The Heroes of Valor Award is an annual event that honors extraordinary police officers, firefighters and corrections officers from the Greater Philadelphia area, which encompasses parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, said retired Chief of Police Daniel Posluszny.
"The award recognizes only the bravest for remarkable acts of heroism and for serving as exceptional role models," he said, after announcing the names of the two police officers at the Sept. 2 swearing-in ceremony for Chief of Police Mark Ubry. The two officers will receive their awards Oct. 1.
In addition to honoring Detective Gladney and Officer Radlinsky, 18 incidents — 11 involving police officers and seven involving firefighters — will be recognized, former Chief Posluszny said. Their stories will become part of the Philadelphia-based museum’s "Awards of Valor" exhibit for the next 12 months.
This is not the first time that the two police officers have been honored for their actions in stopping the armed robbery of the AT&T store. They received the Lawrence Township Police Department’s Meritorious Service Award last year.
Detective Gladney and Officer Radlinsky were instrumental in capturing two men who had tried to rob the AT&T store a couple of days before they were arrested. The store’s manager had asked the Police Department to keep an eye on the store after two men wearing ski masks were observed behind the business on March 26, 2013.
Officer Radlinsky was assigned to watch the store March 27, but nothing happened. The next night, around 8 p.m., Officer Radlinsky saw two men — both of them wearing ski masks — get out of a car parked on Myrtle Avenue, and walk toward the rear of the store.
Officer Radlinsky approached the men and ordered them to stop, but they fled. One man ran down Myrtle Avenue and the other man hopped over a chain-link fence and entered the back yard of a nearby home.
Five police officers — including Detective Gladney — arrived to provide backup for Officer Radlinsky. They searched the neighborhood for the men. Officers caught one of the men on Pine Street, but the other one got away. Police also recovered a backpack that the men had discarded, which contained a semi-automatic handgun.
Detective Gladney was on his way back to the Police Department, after the officers failed to capture the second suspect. He noticed a man, who matched the description of the second suspect, driving a car. He stopped the car and ordered the man to get out of the car, and then he took the man into custody.
The two men were charged with attempted robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, defiant trespass and obstruction of the administration of law and justice.
"That was an outstanding act of heroism," said Jack Oakley, Lawrence Township’s emergency management coordinator, at the Sept. 2 swearing-in ceremony. "In my 28 years (as a New Jersey State Trooper), I never interrupted an armed robbery."

