Man Rescued In Fiery Crash, Now Faces $15K Bill From Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A man who was rescued from a fiery crash last year is now facing a more than $15,000 bill from the Township for its rescue efforts.

Angela Della-Ventura of Watchung spoke to the Bridgewater Council on Thursday about the bill her son, Peter, received following his crash on March 5, 2025.

"I'm unendingly grateful for all your efforts to save me that night. Truly, if it were not for the immediate and heroic actions of Officer Noah Allatt and the other first responders, I would not be here to write this letter to you," read Angela on behalf of her son, Peter Della-Ventura.

Peter Della-Ventura was rescued by Bridgewater Police Officer Noah Allatt after he became unconscious and trapped inside his burning car following a crash with a tanker truck on Route 22 West.

Allatt was honored nationally by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and locally by the Township Council for his heroic efforts.

Following the crash, Peter Della-Ventura was sent a bill from the Township's Office of Emergency Management asking for $15,025.82 in reimbursement for the expenses of employees, volunteers, and vehicles that were involved in the accident.

Della-Ventura noted that he had suffered from a collapsed lung one year prior to the crash and was hospitalized for two weeks. Two months later, he was involved in the Route 22 crash, which sent him back to the hospital.

"I spent a week in the hospital with a severely broken arm, which required two stainless steel plates to realign, a seriously swollen right hand, three cracked ribs, severe back pain from whiplash, and a mild concussion. Aside from various other swellings, cuts, and bruises, but thank God and Noah Allatt, I was alive, and thank all of you others as well," wrote Della-Ventura.

Della-Ventura noted that he is self-employed as a glazer and general carpenter and has been out of work while recovering from the collapsed lung and then the crash.

"The crux of the problem is this. I'm self-employed. I earn about $25 an hour when I'm able to work, but because of these two catastrophic misfortunes, I have only been able to work sporadically. As a result, I've been forced to use up all my savings and entirely wipe out my investments in order to support my wife and myself for the past two years," said Della-Ventura.

Della-Ventura asked the council to work with him to reduce the reimbursement amount or come up with another solution.

Council President Joan Geiger said that she is "very familiar with the court and with the prosecutor, with the judge. I would be extremely surprised if they would not be willing to work with him within the confines of the law to the extent that they are able to."

Township Administrator Michael Pappas said the administration was very I'm very familiar with this matter.

"There's not a lot that I think would be appropriate for me to discuss here publicly. Certainly, I'm familiar. There's a lot to this event beyond what you spoke about today, and I can understand why you wouldn't. So we're aware of it," said Pappas.

Township Attorney Chris Corsini told Della-Ventura's mother to "not lose heart. We will look at this matter in great detail, and there will be more to be said on it."

Police Chief John Mitzak also elaborated on the Township ordinance, which was established "to recoup money for the first aids and fire departments that have to come out at night to clean up these crashes."

"Without getting into the case, he caused the crash. And that's all I can say. He was at fault for the crash, and that's why he was issued the ordinance violation," said Mitzak.

Councilman Timothy Ring also noted that this ordinance is not something limited to Bridgewater.

"Somerset County, the hazmat team comes out, they send this. This is done in other towns and counties and even at the state level, where certain things happen, and there are costs associated," said Ring.

Mitzak added that this type of expense is normally covered by the driver's auto insurance.

"Just like if you were driving down the highway, you lose control, and you hit the pole, you're responsible for paying for the pole you knock down. And normally that goes through the insurance," said Mitzak.

Councilman Michael Kirsh also noted that if the expense is not paid by the individual, it will impact the rest of the town.

"If I recall properly the the reason for that ordinance was to acknowledge that when there are instances where a specific expense can be tied to a specific circumstance, we recoup it. Otherwise, we're asking each and every one of our residents to pay a portion," said Kirsh.

Previous Reporting:

• Cop Rescues Unconscious, Trapped Driver Inside Burning Car On Route 22: Body Cam Video
• Bridgewater Cop Who Rescued Unconscious Driver From Burning Car Honored Nationally
• Bridgewater Cop Honored For Heroic Actions, Saving Man From Burning Car

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