'Clancy's Crew' Taking A Plunge For Monmouth County Detective With Lou Gehrig's Disease

FREEHOLD, NJ — Friends and family of a Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office detective will be taking the plunge into the frigid waters of the Atlantic this weekend to help raise funds to assist those battling ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Lt. Michael Clancy was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, in August 2016. The neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord and affects muscle control.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, Joan Dancy & PALS will hold its 11th Annual Valentine Plunge to raise funds to care for people in our communities living with ALS, and they are plunging in honor of Clancy. The plunge takes place at noon on the beach at Main Street in Manasquan.

So far, plungers in Clancy's Crew have raised nearly $49,000 of their $50,000 goal, according to the donation site. (You can donate here.)

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office released a video about Clancy Wednesday, and has been urging people to tak part in the fundraising.

"For all of you who know 'Clancy,' he is kind, humble, completely selfless, full of life and a damn good cop," the prosecutor's office said in a post on Facebook. "As expected, he has made it his mission to help others who are fighting this disease."

"Lieutenant Michael Clancy is a remarkable son, brother, uncle, colleague, public servant, and treasured friend to all — both on and off the job. Clancy epitomizes the personal integrity and selflessness that is at the heart of law enforcement; he is intelligent, dedicated, courageous, tenacious, tough, and brave, but he is also understanding and compassionate. Clancy always strives to be the best person and law enforcement officer that he can be."

Becoming a police officer was his childhood dream, and Clancy worked first as a dispatcher for the Spring Lake Heights Police Department from 1992 to 1999, the prosecutor's office said. He then joined the Ocean Township Police Department in 2000 as a patrolman, and later worked in the detective bureau. In September 2009 he joined the prosecutor's office and was assigned to the Major Crimes Bureau. In May 2014, he was promoted to the rank of detective sergeant in the Major Crimes Bureau's Homicide/Property Crimes Unit. He was promoted to lieutenant in October, the prosecutor's office said.

as well a member of the Spring Lake First Aid Squad.

Clancy has been involved in countless investigations involving the most heinous crimes, including the widely publicized Arthur Morgan case, involving the vicious murder of a 2-½-year-old girl, the office said.

Clancy, who was a Spring Lake First Aid Squad, is a member of the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team (MOCERT) and is currently assigned as its chief negotiator. He also serves on the Monmouth County Arson Task Force and is liaison to the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team, as well as an instructor at the Monmouth County Police Academy, the office said.

"Above all, Clancy is an AMAZING friend to so many and an INCREDIBLE member of the Clancy family," the post on Facebook said.

For more information about the Valentine's Plunge, click here. Watch more about Clancy in the video below.

Photo via Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office YouTube video