Linden Police, Wal-Mart Donate Bike To Boy Hit By Car

LINDEN, NJ — Last Tuesday, Aug. 1, the Linden Police Department and local Linden Wal-Mart donated a bicycle to a Linden boy who was hit by a car at the beginning of the summer.

May 15 started out as just a usual Monday for Jeremiah Arellano, a 10-year-old Linden boy. The school year was starting to wind down, the weather was nice and he didn't want to spend the evening cooped up indoors. Jeremiah had a lot of homework that night, so when he came home from school he went right to work.

"Normally his curfew is 7 o'clock," said his mother, Daisy. "I was so proud of how hard he worked I let him stay out a little while longer."

Jeremiah wasn't at the park long, only about half an hour, before he got back on his bike and started riding home. He was only a few blocks from home when he was struck by a car. Jeremiah was thrown from his bike into a nearby parked car. He suffered a broken pelvic bone and severe road rash during the crash, but thankfully there were no head injuries.

It's since been months of doctor’s appointments and rehab, but Jeremiah is doing better than ever. His bike, however, did not fare as well. Lt. Joe Cacioppo met with Jeremiah and his mother several times after the crash and said he was impressed with how positive Jeremiah remained during his recovery.

"It was a pretty serious injury for a kid to deal with, but Jeremiah kept smiling and had such a positive attitude throughout his recovery," said Cacioppo. "Knowing that he wanted to ride a bicycle again soon, I thought we may be able to do something to help."

Cacioppo reached out to Linden police officers Jim Schulhafer and John Vasquez; the officers are all avid cyclists, and ride for Team Linden in the annual Police Unity Tour. Wal-Mart of Linden, which is a long-time supporter of Team Linden, donated the bike and helmet.

Jeremiah was recently cleared by his doctor to begin riding a bicycle again and he and his family came out to the Linden National Night Out on Aug. 1, where Jeremiah was presented with a new bicycle and helmet.

"Community is about coming together to do good for our neighbors. This event is about the great things we can accomplish working together as a community, and we couldn't think of any better setting to do this for Jeremiah," said Cacioppo.