Life-Saving Heroics: South Brunswick Police Hosts Annual Awards

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The South Brunswick Police Department recently held its first in-person annual award ceremony in three years. The awards – presented to officers and citizens - highlight lifesaving efforts, investigative work, and citizens who stepped up to make a difference.

“These awards recognize some of the best in our department and community,” Chief Raymond Hayducka said.

In order to receive an award, a case must be submitted to a committee of officers who review all the reports, videos, and materials connected to the incident. The committee then submits a report to the Chief who gives the final approval.

“The awards let our officers know the excellence that we see in them every day. It also recognizes our community members who step up in times of crises to help out,” Hayducka said.

Here’s the list of awardees:

Exceptional Service Award

• Officer Tom Spilatore and Officer Raymond McCarthy
  On March 3, 2021, Officers responded to a dispute at a hotel. McCarthy arrived at the hotel and found an agitated man entering an elevator while refusing instructions to exit. Hotel employees told police the dispute was on the second floor and the man who entered the elevator was headed in that direction. McCarthy joined by Spilatore arrived on the second floor and saw the man from the elevator now in the hallway armed with a knife trying to get into a room. The officers gave orders to drop the knife and used de-escalation techniques. After several minutes the man dropped the knife and complied with officer's instructions.

Exceptional Service Award

• Detective Rick DeLucia
  On May 28, 2021, Detective DeLucia was off duty when he saw a vehicle that matched an alert put out by North Brunswick Police. The vehicle was wanted for a shooting. Detective DeLucia copied the vehicle information and notified North Brunswick Police. That information ultimately led to the identification of the shooter and the seizure of several weapons.

Life-Saving Medal

• Lieutenant Roger Tuohy, Officer Ryan Bartunek, and PST Christine McCarthy
  On July 10, 2021, Officers responded to a report of a man who had fallen into a pool, and was pulled out by a family member but was unresponsive. CPR instructions were delivered to the family member by PST McCarthy during the response. The officer’s quick response and teamwork allowed them to properly administer CPR and life saving measures. The man was taken to the hospital and made a full recovery.

Life-Saving Medal

• Officer Brooke LaBell
  On Dec. 15, 2021 Officer LaBell responded to a report of a child that choked on a ball, became unresponsive and was not breathing. On arrival, LaBell found the mother conducting CPR on the child, sitting up inside a vehicle. LaBell then took the child from the mother, placed the child on a flat surface and continued life saving measures. The child regained a pulse, but had labored breathing and was taken to the hospital. The child later made a full recovery.

Citizens Appreciation Award

• Francis White & Francis White Jr.
  On Dec. 10, 2019, Mr. Francis White and Francis White Jr. Saw a suicidal male who was actively stabbing himself. Both men wrestled the knife away from the suicidal man. White provided care and directed officers to his location. The efforts of both men supported the officers, prevented further serious injury and assisted in saving the man’s life.

Citizens Appreciation Award

• Fazil Syed
  On Feb. 19, 2020, Fazil Syed saw a Nixle during the late evening hours alerting his neighborhood about a missing 10-year-old nonverbal autistic child. Syed immediately left his home and began to search his neighborhood. The child was found hiding under a tree. Syed immediately alerted police. The child had been outside in the cold for several hours. Syed’s act resulted in the child being safely reunited with his family.

Citizens Appreciation Award

• Peter P. Mohammed
  On Sept. 30, 2020, Mohammed put himself in harm’s way to protect the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving a pedestrian that occurred on Route 1 North. He used his vehicle to block both lanes of travel on Route 1 North to prevent additional vehicles from striking the pedestrian.

Citizens Appreciation Award

• Kingston Firefighters Edward A. Chabak and Ryan E. Verney
  On Nov. 26, 2021, Firefighters Chabak and Verney who were on duty, stopped at the ShopRite on Route 1. A woman ran out of the store yelling that someone had just stolen her purse inside the store and was running away. The two firefighters quickly acted to catch the suspect and notified police. Chabak and Verney detained the man until officers arrived. The man was later found to have special needs and listed as a missing endangered person. Chabak and Verney’s actions led to the recovery of the stolen purse and finding the missing person.

Chief’s Safety Award

• Mildred Torres - Domestic Violence Response Team
  Mildred Torres was awarded the Chief’s Safety Award for assisting victims of domestic violence in South Brunswick for over 10 years. The Domestic Violence Response Team has proven to be an effective tool to support victims in breaking the cycle of domestic violence. Mildred Torres’s service and leadership has been vital to the success of the Domestic Violence Response Team’s partnership with the South Brunswick Police Department.

Letter of Commendation

• Detective Timothy Hoover
  In January 2021, Det. Hoover coordinated with several law enforcement agencies on a multi-State motor vehicle burglar team called “Felony Lane Gang”. The suspects would use of stolen credit cards and checks taken from car burglaries. Hoover obtained a confession from the suspect and linked the crew to locations throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Letter of Commendation

• Officer Bruce Redfield and Officer Tyler Harpster
  At 12:45 a.m. on March 28, 2021, Officer Redfield and Officer Harpster were dispatched to a suicidal man in a vehicle in a parking lot on Route 1. Dispatch told officers that the man was actively cutting himself inside of his vehicle. The officers located the vehicle and spoke with the man who had self-inflicted injuries. They were able to remove the knife and rendered first aid. The man's injuries resulted in heavy blood loss. He was taken to the hospital without incident.

Letter of Commendation

• Officer Bruce Redfield, Officer Brian Kim, and Officer Tyler Harpster
  On May 5, 2021, Officers Bruce Redfield, Brian Kim, and Tyler Harpster responded to the Holiday Inn parking lot to search for a missing suicidal man. Hamilton Police called to report that a man was on the phone threatening to kill himself and/or commit suicide by cop. Officers found the male in his vehicle, made a tactical approach and removed him from with vehicle. A knife was recovered from the passenger seat. The quick actions and teamwork used by these officers helped a dangerous and volatile situation come to a peaceful and successful conclusion.

Letter of Commendation

• Detective Brady Shelcusky
  On Aug.29, 2021, Detective Shelcusky investigated an armed carjacking during which a shot was fired in the La Mirage Hotel parking lot. Det. Shelcusky conducted a detailed investigation, obtained evidence and quickly identified the suspect. He learned that the suspect was wanted by the NYPD in connection to a homicide. Shelcusky worked with the United States Marshalls Fugitive Task Force to track the suspect down. The suspect was charged with carjacking and numerous weapons offenses.

Letter of Commendation

• Public Safety Telecommunicator (PST) Steve Kanca, Jackie Siemon, Christine McCarthy, Bruce Feldman, and Julie Trammell
  On Sept. 1, 2021, the township suffered historic flash flooding as a result of Hurricane Ida. The flash flooding stranded dozens of motorists, closed down major highways, and required numerous water rescues. There were over 400 calls handled by dispatchers in five hours during the storm. PST. Kanca, PST Siemon, PST. McCarthy, PST. Feldman and PST. Trammel effectively handled the heavy call volumes for roadway hazards, flooding, motor vehicle crashes / assists, and water rescues.

Letter of Commendation

• Detective Rick DeLucia
  In October, 2020, Detective DeLucia investigated several motor vehicle burglaries. After several months of investigating, he was able to identify two suspects. Delucia was able to develop evidence to link the suspects to 35 separate motor vehicle burglaries in South Brunswick. The investigation linked the suspects to an additional 1,000 motor vehicle burglaries throughout NJ and PA.

Letter of Commendation

• Sergeant Richard Hutchison
  On July 22, 2021, while serving in patrol, Sgt. Hutchison supervised a dispute call that led to the uncovering of a shoplifting operation. Hutchison provided instruction and direction that resulted in an arrest. The case resulted in the recovery of numerous stolen items.

Letter of Commendation

• Sergeant George Vit
  Throughout 2021, Sgt. Vit showed exemplary effort by implementing the Department’s Body Warn Camera program. This included the creation and development of the policy, implementing solutions, applying for grant funding, training users and continuous maintenance of the system and equipment.

Exceptional Service Award

• Lieutenant Eric Buraszeski
  Lt. Buraszeski instructed numerous officers from multiple agencies in ABLE Training throughout Middlesex County. The training focused on giving officers tools to successfully intervene to prevent harm and to create a law enforcement culture that supports peer intervention. Buraszeski’s instruction had a positive impact on numerous officers.

Exceptional Service Award

• Officer Jarrid Harpster
  Officer Harpster instructed numerous officers from multiple agencies in ICAT Training throughout Middlesex County. The training focused on providing officers with the tools, skills, and options they need to successfully and safely defuse a vast range of critical incidents. Officer Harpster’s instruction had a positive impact on numerous officers.

Education Award

For earning a Master’s Degree from Seton Hall University:

• Lieutenant John Penney
• Officer Brian Luck
• Officer Daniel Martinez

For earning a Master’s Degree from Thomas Edison State University:

• PST Renee Messina