In a Blaze of Glory

On December 21, 2006, officers in Cleveland, Ohio, had the pleasure of apprehending an individual wanted for Aggravated Robbery, Felony Fleeing & Eluding, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Having a Weapon While Under Disability, and Resisting Arrest. Sergeant Steven Loomis heard several broadcasts regarding a male robbing people with a machine gun who had fled and was being pursued by several zone cars. As Loomis raced to the area to assist, his car began to smoke. He heard that the suspect was now out of his vehicle, so Loomis rolled down his window, stuck his head out and kept driving. When he finally arrived to backup the other officers, his zone car was on fire. He ignored the flames and ran to the aid of the officer struggling with the combative thief. In a blaze of glory, the suspect was detained, the Mac-10 was confiscated, all the stolen items were recovered, and the zone car was extinguished.

 

 

Mean Streets

Several Cleveland police officers rushed to a store as three robbers ran from the scene on August 22, 2007. Officers Simon Musulin and Donny Bettis headed in the direction of the fleeing suspects, transmitting their description to other units in the area. Soon, Officers Jim Hummel and Mike Hageman spotted three males who appeared to be their suspects. Upon observing the cops, two fled west and one fled south. Detective Greg Cook immediately caught the man who headed south—meanwhile, Musulin and Bettis glimpsed one of the other suspects as he turned back east and jumped over a fence. The two officers exited their vehicle and were joined by Hageman. The trio cornered the man and recovered a .32 revolver and a wad of cash from the store that had been held up. PO Hummel apprehended the final suspect on his own. Thanks to the quick responses of these officers, three more menaces are off the streets.

 

 

Muscle & the Minivan

A plethora of Lakewood, Ohio, first responders acted quickly and courageously on the night of September 30. Squad 3 (Paramedic Eric Klonowski, and FF/Paramedic Joseph Kappa) met Officers Robert Pickens, Jr. and Daniel Rusnak at the scene of an accident where a man lay pinned under his Dodge Caravan. He had been trying to change a flat when the jack slipped and the vehicle fell onto his upper abdomen/lower chest region. The victim was cyanotic and had no pulse. Engine 3 (FGFs Michael Jurchenko, Patrick Hakos, and recently appointed FGF/Paramedic Michael Tripodi) and Squad 2 (Paramedic Robert McDonald and FF/Paramedic Michael Dobranski) also responded. Realizing the amount of time it would take to get the right equipment unpacked and assembled, the group decided they could combine their muscle and lift the minivan off the victim together. Their plan worked and Paramedic Klonowski slid him out into the open. Then Jurchenko started chest compressions while Kappa, Tripodi and Klonowski initiated ACLS procedures. Once the man was resuscitated, he was immobilized and transported to the hospital by Squad 2. Within 15 days the man was transferred to the Acute Brain Rehabilitation Unit and began physical therapy.

 

 

Brother Helping Brother

A cool-headed 13-year-old in Cleveland saved his autistic brother from a house fire with the aid of area
patrolmen on February 14, 2008. The boy noticed the lights in his house flicker out close to midnight— his mom had just left for work, and his dad was not home yet. Then he smelled smoke! He followed it to his older brother’s room, and dialed 9-1-1 when he saw the space heater had caught fire. His 14-year-old brother does not speak, and is also physically disabled, so the young teen had to drag him through the second-story room to a window and out onto the roof. Outside, he screamed and screamed for help as flames licked out the window, inches from their backs. Just in the nick of time, three officers arrived. Ptlm. Andrew Crytzer jumped a chain-link fence and grabbed a neighbor’s ladder. Ptlm. Vincent Lucarelli used it to help the autistic boy off the roof, and Ptlm. Reginald Smith followed with the younger brother as paramedics arrived. Fire fighters doused the flames before they spread much further than the bedroom—
just as their father returned home. The autistic boy was burned slightly on his face and his legs, while
his brother enjoyed many accolades for the rescue. The entire family was grateful that the CPD officers were in the right place at the right time.

 

 

Missing Man

On February 24, Ocean Township, New Jersey, had to call on many local emergency responders to find a missing elderly man. Around 3:20 p.m. the man’s wife reported his absence—he had left around noon and had not returned. The man, who suffers from dementia, was last seen around 2:30. Police activated
the township’s Code Red system, a reverse 911 that allowed them to alert residents with the victim’s description. After dark, a state police helicopter, the Oakhurst Fire Department, and county K-9 units joined the search. A Holmdel Township officer‘s K-9 finally picked up the scent. Officer William Bernard
followed his dog about 20-30 yards into the woods before getting caught in a thicket of briars. He eventually had to release Harley in order to crawl on the ground through the thorns. When he caught up, Harley was guarding the 84-year-old man. Over seven hours had passed; the victim was cold and scratched up, but no worse for the wear.