Family's Ode: Fallen Port Authority Cop

Sept. 11, 2011 will mark 10 years since Kenneth F. Tietjen (Kenny), a native of the Belford section of Midldetown, died a hero at 31; but his family and friends are making sure he lives on.

The Port Authority of NY/NJ police officer had always wanted to be a cop. His dream came true and he died doing what he loved most — helping people.

Kenny had deliberately left his post on Sept. 11 2001 and gone toward the crumbling World Trade Center towers in New York City when everyone else was running away. He went in and had escaped before the collapse when he decided he needed to go back and save more lives. He ended up not being able to cheat his own death that time.

Kenny, raised by his mom Janice and dad Ken, with two sisters Laurie and Cindy, had another love besides policing — bikes. So when he died, his family decided there must be a way to and continue in his beloved tradition of helping people.

There was a strong will to do so; and they found a way.

The Kenneth F. Tietjen Memorial Foundation was created shortly after Kenny’s death. Though the seed to the foundation’s growth had been planted long ago when Kenny was just a child.

His parents had instilled in him and his sisters some pay-it-forward values. Each Christmas, the family would adopt a family in need and make certain it had a good holiday, with enough food, toys and presents for all.

Because he wanted to share the wealth of love of his hobby, Kenny always gave bikes to the kids. So that’s just what the foundation started out doing — giving away some bikes to kids in an effort to simply continue to give But it became much more than that.

Now the foundation in his name gives away all sorts of gifts at Christmas, including those infamous bikes, and help is now there for children in need all year round.

“He (Kenny) started out giving away two bikes a year (from childhood to adulthood, when he was alive),” Janice, his mom, said. “Now, it’s up to something like 400. He would be so pleased.”

For Kenny's love of bikes, his sister Laurie, who heads his foundation, recently organized a ending at the National Law Enforcement Memorial.