Five Middlesex County College (MCC) police officers were honored for saving a student’s life in August.
Officers J.P. Mercenat and Shawn Ferguson were patrolling Edison Hall on Aug. 1 when they received a report of an unconscious student in the building. They discovered the student was not breathing and did not have a pulse. Mercenat is a certified EMT and the two began administering CPR. Sgt. Cory Smith and Officers Christopher Halley and Bryan Montalvo arrived and set up an AED unit, according to information provided by the college.
Officers administered two cycles of CPR with no results, but on the third attempt were successful, according to the statement.
The student was taken to JFK Hospital in serious condition. Two weeks later, she returned to class and was continuing her education, according to the statement.
“The actions of Officer J.P. Marcenat, Officer Shawn Ferguson, Sgt. Cory Smith, Officer Bryan Montalvo and Officer Christopher Halley undoubtedly saved the life of that young woman, 21 years of age, on the evening of Aug. 1, 2018,” Police Captain Michael Ambroziak told the college’s Board of Trustees on Sept. 17. “Their professionalism, training and composure in an extremely stressful situation exemplify the high standards of excellence that is routed in the Middlesex County Police Department and the Middlesex County College community. These officers are a credit to the police profession, the Middlesex County College Police Department, Middlesex County College, and our entire community and are to be commended for their actions.”