NORTH BRUNSWICK – Several police officers, as well as an 8-year-old civilian, received awards during the North Brunswick Police Department Police Week ceremony on May 16.
Konstantinos Travlos, Ken Riley, Anthony Pinizzotto Jr., William Bonura Jr., Keri Shutz, Sean McCorry, Christopher Fernandez, Tim Riley and Christopher Trokovich received a Letter of Commendation for using Narcan to reverse the effects of heroin, potentially saving the life of the user.
In August of 2018, a male individual was wanted for sexual offenses that had occurred. While off-duty, and at Saint Peter’s Hospital, Komstantinos Travlos recognized the wanted person from an email that was issued by detectives. He notified the on-duty detectives and maintained visual contact with the subject until units arrived and contained the man, taking him into custody without incident. He was presented with an Individual Citation for his efforts.
On Aug. 26, 2018, Zachary Tevoli observed a male subject working at an establishment as an armed security officer and retired police officer. He approached the man and began to talk with him, doubting his credentials. In the end, he took the man into custody for false credentials, impersonating a police officer and illegal possession of the firearm. The weapon was safely recovered. He was awarded an Exceptional Service Award for his diligence.
A Unit Citation was presented to Sgt. Frank Vitelli, Matthew Workman, Ryan MacMillan Konstantinos Travlos, Darren Carroll, Robert Powell, Richard De La Cruz, John Strzykalski, Pete Badawy and Sgt. Myron Cox. On Jan. 31, 2018, multiple units responded to an armed robbery that was reported by a victim who was able to escape. Multiple suspects had barged into the Hawaii Spa and assaulted the victims with force, a stun gun and a knife. As officers arrived, all suspects fled on foot. There were several foot pursuits, including one in which a suspect vehicle attempted to run over the officers. Another foot pursuit went to Route 1, where officers caught and subdued one of the suspects on the center median while traffic continued by. All suspects were taken into custody.
On Oct. 10, 2018, Craig Pormilli, Tim Riley and Anthony Pinizzotto Jr. responded to a report of a woman unconscious within her vehicle. They arrived, and in a team effort, confirmed the emergency, removed the woman from her car, began CPR, and used a defibrillator. The woman’s pulse was restored and she was transported to the hospital by EMS units. They received a Lifesaving Award.
On Feb. 17, 2018, Fedor Salvador-Romero conducted a motor vehicle stop for a violation he had witnessed. During his roadside investigation, his observations gave hi the belief that there were illegal drugs in the car. As he arrested one of the occupants, he also discovered a loaded handgun on the person. The motor vehicle stop led to multiple arrests, as well as the discovery of drugs and that weapon. He was presented with an Exceptional Service Award.
A Medal of Merit was presented to Joseph Grasso, along with an Exceptional Service award to Jason Vallese, David Incle, Rene Gordon, Darren Carroll, Eric Geipel, Sean McCorry, PANYNJ Officer John “Bubba” Shaugnessy. On Dec. 8, 2018, they responded to a reported structure fire within the Governor’s Pointe complex. Arriving to find the building already heavily involved in fire, officers began making attempts to get to every unit to evacuate the residences. During the evacuations, a couple and their two grandchildren were found to be stranded on a second floor balcony. Grasso climbed to that balcony, removed the children, and lowered them down to other officers. The couple was then also lowered down to safety.
A Medal of Merit was presented to Anthony Torres. On Oct. 24, 2018, he came across a motor vehicle accident that had just occurred. He immediately stopped to assess the situation, when he observed that one vehicle had gone off the road, struck a tree, and the engine compartment was on fire. Upon further investigation, he found two injured female occupants, both unable to exit the vehicle. Noticing that the fire was quickly spreading, he assisted one occupant from the vehicle, then cut the seatbelt and pulled the second female through the driver’s window, dragging her to safety. The vehicle was consumed with fire moments later. He was awarded the Medal of Merit for his prompt and lifesaving actions.
Alex Obando and Joseph Grasso responded to a pedestrian struck that had occurred in a store parking lot on April 30, 2018. The female pedestrian had been pinned between two vehicles and was suffering from a significant leg injury and bleeding. They kept the situation under control, and applied a tourniquet to the victim’s leg to stop her bleeding until she could be delivered to the hospital. They received a Lifesaving Award.
A Unit Citation was presented to Cagney Smith, Christopher Fernandez, Anthony Torres, Cal Hibbitts, Fedor Salvador-Romero, Adrian Ailey, Christopher Falletta, William Trammell, Javier Gonzalez, Joseph Battaglia, Brian Hoiberg, John Hanrahan, Richard De La Cruz, Daniel Passafiume, Eric Jacobsen, Public Safety Telecommunicator Kelly Cronin and Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office SORT. On July 4, 2018, they responded to a reported armed robbery at a distribution facility, in which the security guard was taken over and injured before being able to call police. Upon their arrival, multiple suspects fled, leading to a lengthy vehicle pursuit and eventual foot pursuit of one suspect, while searches were coordinated for the remaining actors. All suspects were taken into custody and the weapons were recovered. This was an attempted heist of approximately $1 million of product, which was all recovered.
Robert Mattei and Eric Geipel received an Exceptional Service Award. On July 16, 2018, they conducted a motor vehicle stop which became a roadside investigation based upon their observations. During this stop, a quantity of drugs and two loaded handguns were recovered. One adult and one juvenile were arrested and charged with these crimes.
On Nov. 12, 2018, Jon Kelly responded to a report of a woman choking. The woman became unconscious and stopped breathing during the call. He arrived and successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver, clearing the woman’s airway and allowing her to begin breathing again on her own. The woman was transported to the hospital for evaluation, and survived the incident. He received a Lifesaving Award.
On Nov. 1, 2018, the mother of Justin Scruggs was sick and fell. She continued to fall several times, and could not communicate properly or use the phone. As an 8-year-old, Justin did a fantastic job calling 9-1-1 and giving the all the necessary information. Because of the great job he did, his mother was able to be located by the emergency services and ended up being OK. He received a Civilian Award for his efforts.