Hero Who Saved Baby In Stolen SUV Honored: 'It Feels Surreal'

GREENPORT, NY — An East Marion hero who saved a baby in a stolen SUV on Valentine's Day was honored Thursday, receiving the Liberty Medal — the highest civilian honor a New Yorker can receive.

Bill Gorga, along with William Renten and Frank Greenwood — who rushed into a burning building in Riverhead to save two women in January – were honored by New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo at the Liberty Medal ceremony, held at the Riverhead Free Library.

During the event, Palumbo presented New York State Senate Liberty Medals to Gorga, Renten, and Greenwood, "for their incredible courage and life-saving-efforts to help their fellow New Yorkers in the face of grave danger," he said.

Palumbo was joined by New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio, New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, representing Congressman Nick LaLota’s Office, for the presentation.

"It is my great honor to award these three men with the highest civilian award available by the New York State Senate," said Palumbo. "Through their quick and selfless actions, these individuals helped save the lives of their fellow New Yorkers. These gentlemen not only signify the best of the 1st Senate District; they help to remind us of the power of kindness and bravery by risking their own safety to come to the aid of their fellow citizens.”

Gorga was out shopping for Valentine's Day when, in just over three minutes, he saved the baby who was stolen in an SUV — in an act of heroism that's left a forever mark on the community and in the child's life.

Gorga, who said he calls himself a good Samaritan, not a hero, was out in Greenport picking up Valentine's Day surprises for his wife Stephanie. "I was going to go to the IGA to pick up a couple of things, and then go to the stores on Front Street," he said. His to-do list included a trip to the post office, the liquor store for the champagne his wife loves, "maybe a stop at the Blue Duck Bakery to get something sweet for Valentine's," he said.

But in a twist of fate that literally placed him in the life-altering right place at the right time, Gorga decided not to go to IGA first and instead, pulled up in his truck on Front Street in front of the stores.

"The car in front of me was running," he said. "I could hear it but I couldn't see inside."

A grandmother and Gorga, the heroic good Samaritan, gave chase after her SUV was stolen by a Holtsville man in Greenport with her sleeping 14-month-old grandchild inside, police said.

On Valentine's Day, just after 2 p.m. the woman stopped on Front Street in Greenport with her grandchild secured in a child safety seat in the rear of her Mercedes-Benz SUV and entered a store briefly, leaving the child in the vehicle, Southold Town police said.

While she was in the store, the woman saw her SUV being driven away and heading west with her grandchild still secured in the vehicle, police said.

Gorga took the grandmother into his vehicle and chased the SUV westbound on Route 25 in Greenport; he was caught the SUV near Moores Lane and cut it off on the shoulder, police said.

The grandmother, meanwhile, jumped out of his car, raced to her SUV and got inside the vehicle to save the baby, police said. The SUV continued driving west with the grandmother and the child both in the SUV, police said.

Gorga continued to pursue the Mercedes SUV westbound on Rt. 25 and got the thief to stop near Silvermere Road, where the thief released the grandmother and child from the stolen vehicle and then continued westbound, police said.

While Gorga was calling 911, an officer in a sector car saw the grandmother, child and Gorga standing on the shoulder of Rt. 25 in Greenport and shared information about the vehicle and a description of the driver to other sector cars, police said.

Within minutes, the Southold sector car operator saw the Mercedes SUV speeding westbound near Town Harbor Lane in Southold and attempted to catch up, police said. The man driving the stolen Mercedes sped through Southold Village, passing other vehicles and disregarding traffic signals until he struck a guardrail, drove up onto the Southold American Legion property, and then came to rest along Rt. 25, police said.

Responding officers quickly apprehended him without a struggle and transported him to police headquarters for processing, police said.

Paul G. Ludeman, 55, of Holtsville, was arrested and charged with third-degree grand larceny, a felony; aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child in the car, a violation of Leandra's Law, a felony; acting in a manner injurious to a child, a misdemeanor; unauthorized use of a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, a misdemeanor; felony DWI; third-degree fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor; use of a vehicle without an interlock device, a misdemeanor; reckless driving, a misdemeanor, and multiple traffic violations, police said.

In April, Ludeman pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny, driving while ability impaired, and endangering the welfare of a child, said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

"This defendant had absolutely no regard for the law or anyone, for that matter, when he stole a
vehicle with a baby in the backseat while under the influence of alcohol," said Tierney. “This could have ended in a tragedy, but luckily the child’s grandmother and a Good Samaritan were able to get the child out of the vehicle before this defendant crashed into the guardrail. This blatant disregard for the public’s safety was thoughtless and now the defendant is going back to prison."

On May 30, Ludeman was sentenced to 2-to-4 years in prison, Tierney said.

Describing the experience, Gorga said on that fateful day, as he pulled into the spot, he was waiting for the SUV ahead of him to pull up. "I'm lazy, I wanted to get closer," he joked.

Then, everything changed in a heartbeat when Gorga said he saw a woman screaming ."I thought someone had gotten run over by a car! What could she be screaming about?" Gorga said. "She screamed, 'Someone stole my car with the baby in it!'"

The grandmother had her SUV keys in her hand, Gorga said.

"I opened the door to my truck and said, "Get in. We're going to get the baby!'"

Gorga said as he chased the car west toward Southold, he knew he had to catch up. He was laying on the horn "to let other people know we've got a crazy guy driving a car and another crazy guy trying to catch him with a truck," he said.

Right about where Riverhead Building Supply is located on Main Road, Gorga said he was able to pass the Mercedes. "Thank God, there were no other cars," he said. "I was still blowing the horn. I was able to get ahead of the vehicle and make him slow down until the Mercedes stopped across from Riverhead Building Supply," he said. "I had the windows down, and we were yelling at the guy. She was screaming, 'I want the baby! I want the baby!' And I'm telling the guy, 'Don't move! Don't go anywhere!'"

The grandmother jumped out of his truck, Gorga said. "She was lightning quick," he said. "The guy was saying, 'Take the baby! I don't want the baby! Take the baby!'" he said.

The grandmother got out of his Ford pickup and got into her Mercedes, in the rear passenger seat near the baby, Gorga said.

"I'm thinking that it was better for me to be blocking the car, and the next thing the SUV goes around me. I didn't see him turn the wheel because I was looking at her. Now, I look outside and she's not there. I thought, 'Oh, my God, what the hell did I just do?' I made this worse. Now he's got two people. I wanted to cry."

His phone was in his jacket pocket and, with things evolving at rapid-fire speed, there was no time for Gorga to pull out the phone, unlock the screen, and dial 911. "Do you know how fast this was happening? So then I had to chase the car again."

Someone has asked how fast he was going, Gorga said. "I had no idea how fast, I just had my foot all the way down on the floor," he said.

Gorga managed to catch up to the SUV again, about 500 feet before St. Peter's Lutheran Church on Main Road. "I swung in front of him again, to make this guy stop the car. I had to be careful because I didn't want her to get back out and then, he could back up in reverse and run the lady over."

The grandmother got out of the vehicle, he said. "She had the baby in her arms," he said.

Ludeman then took off again and ultimately crashed into the guardrail, Gorga said. "But he didn't touch my car," he said. "At one point, you could have put a sheet of paper between my right front fender and her left front fender, but at that point, both cars didn't have a scratch on them," he said.

Gorga then called 911 and then, saw a patrol car out his driver's side rearview mirror. He put the phone down, jumped out, slowed down the patrol car and told him, "See that car? He just hijacked the lady and baby."

That officer radioed ahead and soon, a fleet of Southold police cars were waiting for Ludeman when he crashed, Gorga said. As he drove to Southold police headquarters to make a statement, Gorga said he saw the SUV outside the American Legion, "all banged up" after the turn, he said.

Although that save felt as though it took 40 minutes to an hour, the reality was that the entire experience lasted just over three minutes.

The reason he felt the experience had lasted longer, Gorga said, was because he felt his world slow down, as if it were all unfolding in slow motion, allowing him the time to make decisions that were safe, and that would not make a "bad situation worse."

When asked if Gorga thought about the possibility of the thief having a weapon, he said: "He did have a weapon and it weighed three tons. It didn’t even cross my mind to think if he had a gun, a knife, a laser or a taser."

Gorga, who worked as a marine engineer, said he had previously worked in the department of emergency management at a New York City company.

"They teach you if you see something, say something. Everyone has been taught that, and it's a good lesson," he said.

As for the grandmother, she was hysterical throughout the ordeal, he said. It was only when she saw him at police headquarters about an hour later that she'd regained some composure, Gorga said. "She told me, 'Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it.' And I told her, 'Don't worry about it,'" he said.

The baby, Gorga said, "woke up clueless" to what had happened. "He was totally unphased."

Gorga, who was born in Marine Park, lived in Whitestone and Staten Island and has three kids; he recalled memories of Boy Scouts, Pinewood Derbies, soccer practices.

When asked if the same situation arose, he'd do it all again, Gorga didn't hesitate. "Yes, I would do it again. Why wouldn't I?"

As a father, Gorga said he can't understand why he sees stories on television about people on a subway or elsewhere who see a crime happening and take out their phones, doing nothing to help. "You could have helped capture that person," he said.

Reflecting on his amazing rescue, Gorga said, "I guess it's a day in the life of Bill Gorga. I went to the store, and on the way to the store, something different happened." He added: "A detective told me I was a hero. I told the detective, 'No, you’re a hero. You and men and women that work in the building, you do this 24/7, 365 for over 20 years that’s a hero.' I just did something."

Stephanie, meanwhile, says she's filled with pride over her husband's bravery. " It is an amazing story. He is always my hero," she said. "I am beyond proud of my Bill."

She added: "Bill will tell you he’s not a hero, that he did what he needed to do. We are a family here and watch out for one another. It was a blessing he happened to be there."

After being honored Thursday, Gorga said the entire experience was "surreal. I was standing there thinking, 'I can't believe this is happening.'"

At the presentation, Gorga said he received a flag that was flown over the Capitol from Rep. LaLota; as well as a medal and a flurry of proclamations from Palumbo, Giglio, Thiele, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, Tierney, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, and more.

"I need an addition on my house to display all the awards," he joked, adding, "This has been a whirlwind. It's surreal."

Even a friend, who received a Silver Star Medal for his service in Vietnam, saw him and said, "Billy Gorga, you're the hero," he said. "I told him, 'No, you're the hero.'"

But at the heart of it all, lies the deep satisfaction in saving a baby's life: Gorga said in the months since, he's seen the baby that he saved, who's walking now — the greatest reward of all.

Of the recognition, Gorga said along with the ceremony and cake in Riverhead, he and his family celebrated with a barbecue and another cake at home Thursday night. Despite all the accolades, he said, it still doesn't feel real. "Pinch me," he said. "I still couldn't believe it, even when I was standing there."

"The collective bravery displayed by these remarkable individuals serves as an inspiration to our entire community. Their courage, in the face of extreme circumstances, reminds us of theinherent strength and compassion that resides within humanity. As a community, we extendour heartfelt gratitude and admiration to these heroes who risked their own safety to protect and save the lives of others," said Thiele.

Added Giglio: “Today we celebrate the best of what we as Americans are; strong, brave, selfless, heroic. These men endangered their own lives to save those of their neighbors, and in doing so stand as beacons to all of us."

'Bill Gorga, William Renten and Frank Greenwood demonstrated extraordinary selflessness and heroism, putting their personal safety aside to save lives in the face of real danger," said LaLota.