Police Officer From Long Island 'Hero of New York City' After Columbus Circle Standoff

Photo courtesy of Pix11.com. (Peter Cybulski, far left).

A police officer from Long Island made news worldwide Thursday as part of a heroic duo who raced to remove what could have been a bomb from Times Square.

Peter Cybulski, a Riverhead High School graduate who now lives in Flanders, was on patrol in New York City Wednesday night, parked at Broadway and Duffy Square at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday with Sgt. Hameed Armani, when a suspect tossed what appeared to be a bomb into a police van in Times Square.

The officers sped with the device out of a crowded Times Square before taking the device out of their van and securing it, police said. It was then determined to be a hoax.

The hero cop described the moment when the device flew into their van. “We both looked at each other and we knew exactly what the other was thinking without even having to say it,” Cybulski said at a televised press conference this morning. It was, he said, "a very crowded area, multiple children around, multiple families around. We’re not going to let this takeout someone else with us, multiple casualties.”

According to the New York Post report, at the press conference, Armani said the pair began to pray. “I was nervous. [Cybulski] looked at me and said ‘Boss, what are we doing?,” Armani said.”’ I said ‘we’re driving, alright.’” Halfway through we said our prayers to each other and I was like, alright, if it happens it happens. I’m not going to stop here.”

The device began to "flash" and make "clicking noises," according to news reports.

They drove their van, sirens flashing, east to 46th Street and Sixth Avenue; once stopped, Cybulski, who said at the press conference that he was "nervous," picked up the device and handed it to Armani, who took it from the van and put it on the sidewalk, not near any people or buildings.

They then requested the bomb squad.

The suspect sped off and was seen at Columbus Circle, leading to an hours-long standoff; police arrested Hector Meneses, 52, of Queens around 7:45 a.m. after he refused to leave his vehicle, donned a red helmet and sunglasses, according to news reports.

Police said there was limited communication with the suspect during the standoff, but he did claim to have a bomb. Police removed the suspect only after the bomb squad had determined there was no explosive device in the car.

In the end, the device was believed to be a wax candle, a battery operated lantern, tin foil and a white piece of clothing.

Police closed off the area around Columbus Circle for hours, causing traffic delays and snarls.

Cybulski and Armani were lauded for their heroism. "These two officers are heroes of the NYPD, heroes of New York City," Police Commissioner William Bratton tweeted. He later called the pair the "heroes of New York City," at a televised press conference.

Close to home, Cybulski's girlfriend Brittany Rocco wrote on Facebook: "As scary as it is, my boyfriend and his sergeant are heroes, who would have done whatever it took to save the lives of those around them. I couldn't be any more proud of the man I love and can't thank God enough for the way the situation ended."