Long Valley Woman Thanks Newark Cops For Rescuing Stranded Aunt

NEWARK, NJ — A New Jersey woman took a ride in the back of a Newark police car – and she couldn’t have been happier about it. That was the smile-inducing story that came out of the Brick City last weekend, according to a grateful Long Valley resident.

Denise Rackley recently reached out to Patch because she wanted to offer a “thank you” to several police officers in Newark who gave a helping hand to her 87-year-old aunt, Kathleen Coll, after car trouble left her stranded on a cold November evening.

Rackley said that her aunt, a sister of Saint Joseph, is the “shining light and matriarch of our family.” And what Newark police did for her relative that day won’t be forgotten, she added.

It began at 4 p.m. on Saturday, when Coll got into her Subaru to drive back to Newark from Long Valley, where she’d been visiting for the holidays.

“[Aunt Kay] had driven up to spend time with us, her nieces, as she always tries to make us feel loved, especially since we lost our mother and brother,” Rackley said.

The plan was to drive straight to her convent in Newark from Morris County. But a flat tire had something to say about that.

It happened around 6:30 p.m. as her aunt was exiting I-78 and left her car disabled, Rackley said. The problem? Coll didn’t know exactly where she was, so nobody knew where to pick her up.

Rackley said her sister, Laura, spoke with their aunt just after the car troubles hit.

“We communicated back and forth trying to get her exact location, called for AAA, tried to get someone to go to her, but no one knew exactly where she was,” Rackley remembered.

Her aunt made several calls and believed a tow truck was on the way. But more than an hour’s drive away in Long Valley, Rackley and her sister were growing “uneasy,” she recalled. And although Coll was her typical confident self – assuring her nieces that she’d be home soon – as the hours dragged on and the temperature outside dropped, her relatives eventually decided that they needed to let police know what was going on.

That’s when a strange-but-fortunate twist of fate happened.

When she looked up the phone number for the Newark police, Rackley found several options. But something told her to call a specific set of digits – (973) 733-6070 – even though it wasn’t the closest to her aunt’s location.

It was 10:07 p.m. when Sgt. Poyotte of the Newark Police Department picked up the phone. The law enforcement officer wasn’t supposed to be there; her shift ended at 10 and she was headed to a well-deserved vacation. But despite the fact that the location wasn’t in her precinct, Poyotte didn’t falter, “listening intently” to what Rackley had to say and staying on the line as she called nearby police units to find out who was closest to the area.

It wasn’t easy to stay calm, Rackley said.

“My sister and our families had a growing concern that our 87-year-old aunt, out in the cold for over five hours, was in danger,” she told Patch. “I had her license plate number and car description, but there are many ramps on and off I-78.”

With Coll unable to give police an exact location, it wasn’t easy to find her. But with the help of her fellow officer, Sgt. Silva, who directed and gave directions to officers Bacon and Meizinger, Newark police eventually tracked down the stranded motorist – after an hour of persistent searching.

The officers then stayed with Coll until a tow truck arrived, and gave her a ride home in the back of their patrol car around 1 a.m.

Rackley said that when Poyette called her with the good news, she broke down with tears of relief.

“I believe there was a reason she was there and without her help this story could have had a very different ending,” she said.

“All the police involved were so extraordinarily accessible, kind, resourceful and effective,” Rackley said. “They stayed with my aunt, waited with her for a tow truck, and brought her safely home after eight hours on the roadside.”

“My aunt gives so much service and heart and soul to her community … it was her turn tonight to receive much needed help,” she added.

Reached for comment, Poyette was humble about her contribution to the happy ending.

“It was our pleasure helping, that is what Newark Police Department is about,” she said. “We don't do it for any recognition. I truly believe I was put on this Earth to help.”

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