Acts of bravery included saving children from inferno, preventing hostage situation, group says
BELLEVILLE -- Newark firefighter Michael Bellina climbed through a window into a burning Bergen Street home and found a 9-year-old girl unconscious in the inferno. Quickly, Bellina handed the child off to Firefighter Tony DeFeo who carried her down a ladder outside.
In the rescue effort, Bellina suffered a severe cut to his hand from broken glass but he kept searching for people crews knew were trapped inside as the flames consumed three structures.
Meanwhile, Firefighter Carlo Dello Russo rushed up three flights of stairs and discovered a 4-year-old girl, also unresponsive, and quickly carried her out of the home. Firefighter Na'eem Howard, joined by city police officers, provided CPR to the child until medical crews could arrive.
Badly hurt, Bellina had located another unconscious person in the blaze. Capt. Frank Fonseca and Firefighter Carlos Henriques joined Bellina as they carried the 31-year-old woman from the building.
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At an area hospital, responders learned the woman they had just pulled out from the fire was pregnant. In all, city firefighters were credited with saving four lives from the raging Aug. 7, 2015 blaze.
That act of bravery was among a host of heroic acts in 2015 honored Thursday at the Essex County 200 Club's 50th Anniversary Valor Awards presentation in Belleville. The organization, formed in 1966, has raised more than $2 million for the families of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
The event honored 29 firefighters, detectives and police officers from Essex County.
"Today is about the men and women who go out each and every day and put their lives on the line," said Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose. "There are a lot of heroes who aren't here today because they are working or they are out injured from police or fire actions."
The day was also a time to reflect on police and firefighters killed in the line of duty, Ambrose added.
For Newark Detective Glen Calderon, a stop for coffee led him to a violent confrontation with a gun-toting robber, officials said.
Calderon pulled into a gas station, at Washington and Court streets, during what he thought was a slow shift Nov. 12, 2015 around 1 a.m. That quickly changed when an employee told him two suspects were robbing the mini-market.
After he radioed for backup, the detective sneaked up to the store and threw open the door, which knocked one robber to the side, said Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura. The second robber jumped the counter carrying a gun and advanced toward the lone detective.
Calderon feared for his life and fired a single shot, hitting the armed attacker in the chest, officials said. He managed to arrest the assailants.
"A quiet night became a potentially deadly night in the blink of an eye," said the Sheriff, who is on the 200 Club's executive committee.
The award ceremony featured guest speaker New York City Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller, a former crime reporter from Montclair who interviewed Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan.
As a ninth-grader at Montclair High School, Miller cut class to cover breaking news in Newark. He pointed to improvements seen in the city.
"Newark is a city that keeps rebounding and never stops fighting," he said.
Miller, who held posts in the NYPD, Los Angeles Police Department, FBI and the Office of the Director National Intelligence, said technology and training has brought a "Golden Age" of policing and firefighting. Still, first responders face heightened scrutiny and constant dangers.
"When the danger is there in front of you, no matter how it presents itself, it is you all who still run toward it while everyone else runs away," Miller told the gathering. "That is what separates this group from everybody else."
The full list of valor award recipients is below, as provided by the Essex County 200 Club:
Essex County Prosecutor's Office
Detective Eric Manns, Detective Carlos Olmo, Detective Kenneth Poggi
The detectives were assigned to the county prosecutor's Homicide Task Force on June 23, 2015 when they spotted a suspect wanted for a murder in Orange that was committed a day before. The suspect got in a vehicle with another person and drove away. The detectives turned on their lights in an attempt to stop the suspect, but the vehicle drove in reverse and repeatedly slammed into the unmarked units, narrowly missing the detectives who were now on foot. The vehicle sped away and was disabled after ramming into several civilian vehicles that were stopped in traffic. The two suspects jumped out and ran in different directions. With Manns in pursuit, the homicide suspect kicked in the basement window of a residence. Manns followed in after him and cleared the house of its occupants to prevent a hostage situation or any injury to those inside. Manns found the suspect who was hiding in the basement and arrested him without further incident. Simultaneously, Olmo and Poggi captured the second suspect and seized a fully loaded, semi-automatic handgun with an extended ammunition magazine.
Newark Police Department's Firearms Interdiction Team
Newark Police Department: Sergeant Matthew Ruane, Detective Ana Colon, Detective Tyrell Wheeler
Essex County Sheriff's Office: Detective Abdullah Holmes
NJIT Police: Officer Antoine Hughes
On the night of November 2, 2015, the Firearms Interdiction Team was patrolling around 4th Avenue and 12th Street in Newark. Officers spotted a group of five males running away from an armed suspect. Ruane exited his vehicle, grabbed the suspect and threw him into nearby garbage cans. With Hughes and Wheeler on the scene, a violent struggle for control of the suspect's handgun was successfully executed. Meanwhile, Colon and Holmes chased a second armed suspect. That suspect aimed his weapon at Colon and Holmes who, while fearing for their lives, fired their service weapon at him. The suspect temporarily eluded capture was soon discovered hiding in the crawl space between two nearby residences. His weapon was also recovered.
Irvington Police Department
Patrolman Edward Pearce
Pearce was dispatched Aug. 9, 2015 to Nye and Union avenues for a report of shots fired and a description of the shooter was also broadcasted on police radio. As Pearce arrived on the scene, he immediately identified the shooter who continued walking and still carrying the gun. Angling his marked cruiser to stop traffic, Pearce advanced on foot, closing his distance on the gunman while updating other units of the situation. While yelling commands to drop his gun, the suspect responded by raising his weapon in an attempt to fire at Pearce. The weapon jammed and another patrolman arrived on the scene. As his marked unit bore down on the gunman, he opened the driver's door, knocking the suspect to the ground and the weapon from his hand. Pearce moved in and made the arrest.
State Police
Detective II Anthony Giunta, Detective II Edward Schmalz, Trooper Blazej Oczkos
On December 11, 2015, Giunta, Schmalz and Oczkos received an Amber Alert, issued by the New York Police Department, for a suspect driving a 2004 Dodge Caravan wanted for kidnapping a 3-year-old girl and attempted murder of the girl's mother. In an unmarked car, the plainclothes officers strategically positioned themselves where they could monitor traffic on the Garden State Parkway and Route 3. After a few minutes, Giunta observed the wanted vehicle traveling north on the Parkway. He immediately pulled behind and followed it undetected. Schmalz took command of communications, ordering other responding troopers to slow down traffic in the event of a high risk vehicle stop. Giunta now positioned his vehicle slightly in front of the suspect vehicle and activated emergency lights. The officers forced the suspect onto the right shoulder and boxed it in to prevent escape. Schmalz and Oczkos placed the suspect under arrest as Giunta carried away the little girl, who was later safely reunited with her family.
Newark Police Department
Detective Glen Calderon
Calderon was on duty November 12, 2015 around 1 a.m. when he pulled into the parking lot of a gas station at Washington and Court streets to get coffee. When he got to the service station, an employee told him two people, including one armed with a handgun, just entered the station's market and demanded cash. Calderon saw one suspect standing by the door and the second armed suspect rifling through the cash registers. Calderon radioed back information on his situation. With his gun drawn, he smashed open the door, knocking one suspect to the side. The armed suspect jumped over the counter carrying a gun and came directly at the officer. Calderon, who feared for his life, fired once, striking his attacker in the chest. Calderon arrested both suspects.
Newark Police Department
Detectives Juan Ramos, Wyhidi Wilson
On the night of Sept. 18, 2015, Ramos and Wilson were on patrol in uniform and using a marked police car along Thomas Street in an area known for multiple homicides, several shootings and armed robberies. They observed a male suspect manipulating a bulky item that was positioned in his waistband. When the officers pulled over to further investigate, the suspect ran from the scene and a foot pursuit ensued. During the chase, the suspect stopped, turned and pulled a loaded Smith and Wesson .357 magnum from his waistband and aimed it at the officers. Fearing for their lives, both detectives opened fire. The suspect was not struck and began running again, but was quickly captured. The weapon was stolen from North Carolina and recovered.
South Orange Police Department
Then-Captain Kyle Kroll, Detective Steven Davenport
A fast food deliveryman was robbed on July 25, 2015 and Davenport was able to identify a person of interest in the crime. A week later, Davenport, Kroll and other officers in plainclothes tracked the suspect down to a Smith Street address in Newark. The suspect was walking on the street when Davenport and Kroll approached him. After identifying themselves as police officers, the suspect ran from the scene and a foot-chase ensued through backyards and over fences. Kroll tackled the suspect as he was pulling his loaded, 9mm Ruger semi-automatic handgun from his waistband. The suspect arrested. A follow-up investigation revealed the weapon was previously used in a homicide and two additional shootings.
Newark Fire Division
Captain Carl Wendt, Firefighter Raymond Hatton
On July 12, 2015 around 2 p.m., Newark Fire dispatched companies to a report of a working fire at 248 Hunterdon Street. Fire was found on the first floor of a two-story garden apartment and there was a report of three children trapped inside. Deputy Chief Michael Nasta saw heavy smoke pushing out from the second floor windows, and the arms of small children reaching out between the security bars. All incoming units were immediately notified of the rescue situation. Engine 6 began an attack of the fire on the first floor, which was blocking the egress from the second floor. This allowed members from Engine 11, Ladder 11 and Rescue 1 to search for the missing children on the second floor. Under extreme heat and heavy smoke, Hatton located the trapped children in a rear bedroom. He notified Wendt and together they were able to bring the children to safety. The children appeared to be coherent and alert, and were transferred to the care of EMS units, where they were transported to University Hospital.
Newark Fire Division
Captain Frank Fonseca, Firefighters Michael Bellina, Tony DeFeo, Carlo Dello Russo, Carlos Henriques
On August 7, 2015 around 3:30 a.m., the Newark Fire Department responded to a house fire in the area of Bergen Street and Avon Avenue. Heavy fire was found throughout two, three-story wood frame houses and flames were rapidly extending to a third structure. First arriving units saw several trapped victims on the third floor of the main fire building. Engine 10 stretched a protective hoseline up the interior stairway to facilitate rescue operations, and DeFeo raised his truck ladder to the third floor. Bellina climbed up the aerial followed by DeFeo. Bellina located an unresponsive 9-year-old girl within the room and handed the child to DeFeo, who passed the victim to Ladder 11 members. They performed CPR on the child until EMS arrived. While rescuing the girl, Bellina received a severe laceration on his hand from the broken window glass. Despite this serious injury, Bellina returned to continue searching for the adult female they initially saw in the window. Simultaneously, Russo entered the building through the interior stairs with members of Engine 10. When Dello Russo made his way to the third floor, he found an unresponsive 4-year-old girl and carried her out of the building. She was given to Firefighter Na'eem Howard of Rescue 1 and Newark Police Officers Sapienza and Field, who together administered CPR until the arrival of EMS. Fonseca and Henriques made their way to the third floor and met Bellina, who had located the 31-year-old female victim, who was unresponsive. They carried out and CPR was administered. Later at the hospital it was determined that the female was pregnant. Engines 10, 18, 6 and 11 provided protection with aggressive interior attack lines and without their support, these rescue could not have been accomplished.
Newark Fire Division
Captain Delfin Ortiz, Captain Mark Furka, Firefighter Derek Hunter
On January 29, 2015, around 7:15 a.m., the Newark Fire Department was dispatched to a working fire at 863 South 17th Street. Arriving companies found heavy fire on all floors in the rear of a 2.5-story wood frame house, and it was extending to the building next door. Both structures were occupied and rescue operations were quickly established. A panic-stricken woman was on a second floor balcony requesting help. Hunter grabbed a ground ladder off Engine 18 and raised it to the second floor balcony with the assistance of Ortiz. Once the ladder was in position, Furka ascended the ladder and assisted the panic-stricken woman down to the street. Hunter knew that there were still occupants inside and acted rapidly, without the protection of a hoseline. He entered the first-floor apartment and alerted the occupants of the fire, including a mother, father and their four children, and safely escorted them out of danger.
North Caldwell Fire Department
Lieutenant Lee Sutherlin, Firefighter David Hicock
On the morning of May 20, 2015, the North Caldwell police and fire departments responded to a report of a very strong odor of natural gas at a building in the Four Seasons Condo complex. Arriving police officers observed the extremely strong odor and were informed that a carbon monoxide detector was sounding in one of the units. The police evacuated the building, as Fire Chief John D'Ascensio arrived at the scene and was advised that the resident of the unit had major health issues. Sutherlin and Hicock donned full personal protective equipment and self-contained breathing apparatus and entered the building. They were able to force the door to the unit and search using a gas meter. Very high readings of natural gas and carbon monoxide registered. The 88-year-old resident of the unit was found unconscious and unresponsive. Sutherlin grabbed the woman and they removed her from the apartment. Police officers and a doctor who resides in the building gave her oxygen. The firefighters then returned to the apartment and opened the windows for ventilation. An investigation determined the woman turned on several burners after making coffee, and passed out in the den.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.