Holmdel Police Officers Perform Christmas Day Rescue: PD

HOLMDEL, NJ - Three Holmdel Township police officers are being recognized for rescuing an area resident who was critically injured Christmas Day due to a self-inflicted wound, authorities said Monday. Without time to spare waiting for paramedics, the officers transported the man to Bayshore Medical Center in a police cruiser.

Officers James Herlihy, Chris Broglia and Joseph Disko responded to a mental health/crisis call on Dec. 25 at 11:45 a.m., witnessing a man “bleeding heavily” from his neck and holding a shard of glass in his left hand at the scene, according to a news release from the department.

The trio was eventually able to get the man to drop the piece of glass, authorities said. The man then exposed a large self-inflicted laceration to the left side of his neck that was bleeding “profusely.”

Herlihy, Broglia and Disko immediately began treating the man by applying direct pressure to the wound to control the bleeding, authorities said.

“With the paramedics being several minutes away and no time to spare, the decision was made to transport the patient by police vehicle,” the department wrote in a statement.

The officers, alongside a member of the Holmdel First Aid Squad, transported the resident to Bayshore Medical Center where he underwent surgery and is now in recovery.

“The quick thinking and actions taken by our officers clearly saved this man’s life,” the department wrote.