NJ Couple Calls Son 'Youngest Survivor' Of Las Vegas Massacre

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — As the shots rang out and chaos ensued, Valdo Panzera Jr. just ran. He ran to protect three people: himself, his girlfriend, and their unborn child.

Panzera and his now-wife, Megan, both of North Haledon, were in the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival across the Las Vegas strip when the deadliest mass shooting in United States occurred Oct. 1.

Panzera and Megan, who was his girlfriend at the time, as well as about 100 others ran and took shelter in a Motel 6 as Stephen Paddock opened fire on the unsuspecting crowd. They survived. Their son, Valdo Panzera III was born June 3. Panzera calls his son the "youngest survivor" of the Las Vegas shooting.

That's what had him running for his life, and everybody else's that night. As a soon-to-be parent, he was protecting his family.

"My son is our hero because if it wasn't for him, who knows what would have happened," Panzera said. "When we were running for our lives, that is when it really hit me that I was a parent. It was all three of us running."

At least two others from New Jersey were in the crowd. Fifty-nine people, including Paddock, were killed and 422 others were injured by gunfire.

Megan Panzera is originally from Fair Lawn, but she moved out to Las Vegas to get some experience teaching. Panzera was out there visiting her when the shooting happened. She was about four weeks pregnant when the shooting happened.

Drawing inspiration from their newborn son, his family has moved on while living with the painful memory.

The couple got married in March and bought a house in North Haledon. Megan Panzera is looking for a teaching job. Panzera helps run the family business, Exclusive Marble and Granite in Moonachie. He also is a member of the Manchester Regional High School Board of Education and on the North Haledon Board of Adjustment.

"Being a father, you look at life totally differently," Panzera said.

Panzera said he and his wife are not sure if they'll tell their son about the shooting.

"I'm sure he'll find out on his own, especially with Google and the internet," Panzera said. "You can't keep things a secret nowadays. When he's old enough to understand and know what happened, of course, he's going to find out."

Related:

• Pregnant Woman, Boyfriend From North Jersey Survive Las Vegas Mass Shooting
  
• Las Vegas Massacre: New Jersey Connections Emerge In Deadliest Shooting in U.S. History

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photos:

Valdo Panzera III in his hospital bed shortly after being born.

Valdo Panzera Jr. and Megan Panzera with their son, Valdo Panzera III.

(Photos courtesy of Valdo Panzera Jr.)