MARLBORO – Police Chief Peter J. Pezzullo of the Marlboro Police Department has nominated a lieutenant and four officers for the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) Valor Award for saving the life of a 17-year-old passenger who was trapped in the back seat of a badly damaged vehicle in June 2020.
Pezzullo credited Lt. John Loyer and officers Donna Gonzalez, Adam Mattei, Colin Murray and Robert Kelly with rescuing the young woman who was pinned inside a crumpled GMC Envoy in the aftermath of a collision that occurred on Conover Road on June 15, 2020, according to a press release.
The five officers from Marlboro are among 33 nominees from nine police departments who are in line for this year’s Valor Award that will be presented during the 109th NJSACOP Annual Conference and Police Security Expo to be held from Aug. 23–26 in Atlantic City.
The Marlboro Police Department’s nomination says “swift, courageous actions” by the five police officers saved the life of the unconscious female passenger just moments before the damaged sport utility vehicle burst into flames.
The nomination says Loyer is a 30-year police veteran; Gonzalez is a former Monmouth County sheriff’s officer, hired 11 years ago; Mattei is a six-year veteran; Murray worked in Marlboro for three years; and Kelly, for more than a year.
The NJSACOP established its Valor Award in 2000 to recognize New Jersey police officers and private citizens who demonstrate exceptional heroism and commitment to their profession, to their law enforcement agency, and to the public they serve, according to the press release.
