Verona Boy With Rare Disorder Gets Heartwarming Boost From Cops

VERONA, NJ — He’s a brave, young boy. And now he’s got a whole new family cheering him on.

Micco LaRosa, 4, a Verona resident, has a genetic disorder called Alagille Syndrome, which affects the liver, and occurs in about one of every 30,000 live births. And when LaRosa recently fell and suffered a skull fracture, it resulted in serious complications, according to the Verona Police Department.

When word of his injury got out to Verona police, an enthusiastic group of officers paid the courageous youngster a visit at his home, bringing a K9 companion along with them.

While LaRosa has bounced back from his fall, the Verona Police Department knew that they had to show him some additional support. So last week, with the aid of some their West Orange peers, they decided to surprise him on his birthday, welcoming him and his family into VPD headquarters and swearing him in as an "officer for the day."

He even got a uniform and badge to fit the part, authorities reported.

"We’ve only heard great things about the Verona Police Department, and they totally blew us away with everything they did for Micco," his mother, Catrina Pisauro LaRosa, told NorthJersey.com. "I’m so proud to live in this town."

• See related article: Young Verona Gymnast With 'Rapid-Aging Disease' Meets Olympian

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Photo: Verona Police Department