Moorestown Township Council honored the men and women working to make the community a safer place at Monday night’s meeting. From welcoming new patrolmen to awarding officers for acts of gallantry and saving lives, the Moorestown Township Police Department had no shortage of reasons to feel proud.
Chief Lee Lieber recounted the events that led to Cpl. William Mann, K-9 Officer Kevin Sloan and Ptl. Frank Gregorio receiving awards for gallantry on duty. On May 30, Moorestown officers were dispatched to a domestic call that was reported to involve some sort of physical confrontation. On their way to the scene, the officers were radioed that the man in question had picked up two large knives and was leaving the house threatening to harm himself.
Sloan arrived at the scene first, where he found the man walking down the driveway “brandishing two large knives” and repeatedly yelling at the officer to shoot him. Lieber said Sloan spoke calmly to the man in an effort to de-escalate the situation. Meanwhile, Gregerio arrived on the scene and was maneuvering himself to the side, out of the man’s sight.
Despite Sloan’s repeatedly pleas to the man to drop the knives, the man continued walking toward Sloan. When it became clear he was dangerously close, Gregerio tasered the man, leaving him incapacitated enough for Mann (who had also arrived at the scene) to run up and handcuff him.
When it was over, Mann and the resident only sustained minor abrasions to their hands. The man was transported to the hospital for mental health treatment.
“Three officers coordinated the response in a highly charged situation and were able to successfully resolve what could have resulted in death or serious injury,” Lieber said.
Ptl. Jason Witkowski and Cpl. Christopher Menges were recognized with awards for life-saving for an incident that took place in January 2018. Lieber said they were more recently recognized by Virtua Hospital as part of its cardiac rehabilitation program.
The two officers were dispatched to the Moorestown Mall after a report came in that a 73-year-old man had potentially suffered a stroke. When they arrived at the mall, they found the man in cardiac arrest, and, along with Mooretown Emergency Services and local paramedics, they helped to perform CPR on the man. By the time he was loaded into the ambulance, the man was once again conscious and talking as a result of the CPR efforts.
In other news:
- The Moorestown Police Department also recognized two promotions on Monday night. Ptl. Andrew Weist was promoted to sergeant while Ptl. Christopher Menges was promoted to corporal.
- Two officers also joined the department’s ranks. Alex Humes was sworn in as patrolman. Humes is a longtime Moorestown resident who began his career with the Stone Harbor Police Department in 2018. Fellow longtime Moorestown resident, Luke Stewart, was also sworn in as a patrolman. Similarly, Stewart began in his career with the Stone Harbor Police Department in 2016 before moving on to the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department. Both men were surrounded by friends and family as Mayor Lisa Petriello swore them in Monday night.
- The next meeting of Moorestown Township Council will take place on Monday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall.
