🚔 27 first responders honored in Monmouth County

🚔 Several police officers recognized by the 200 Club of Monmouth County

🚔 Asbury Park Police Officers receive the Valor Award


Several first responders have been recognized by the 200 Club of Monmouth County for their dedicated and brave service within the community at their annual awards luncheon.

Asbury Park Police Officers Michael Hand and Vincent Gargiulo were honored by the 200 Club of Monmouth County with the Valor Award after their pursuit of an armed robber where they "demonstrated exceptional police work".

The two officers spotted the suspect leaving an apartment near where the robbery took place and when he tried to flee, they pursued him into a building where a physical altercation reportedly occurred.

The suspect was then arrested on the scene.

(Photo: The 200 Club of Monmouth County)
(Photo: The 200 Club of Monmouth County)
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“This award means the world to me. I give all the praise though to my family, co-workers, and all my loved ones who support me, because without that support, none of this would be,” Officer Hand said in a written statement to the 200 Club of Monmouth County.

“This award means a lot, because I never expected to earn something of this magnitude that is recognized throughout the nation," Officer Gargiulo said in a written statement. "I started as a Class 2 Officer and this incident happened two weeks before I left that role to go to my new department for full-time. To still be recognized for my work in Asbury Park means a lot to me. It is very special, and I am grateful.”

The 200 Club of Monmouth County also recognized 27 other first responders with Certificates and in some cases Valor Awards, Merit and Commendation Awards.

A Merit Award was presented to Red Bank Regional High School 17-year old junior Brad Walsh who is a member of the Little Silver Fire Company.

(Photo: The 200 Club of Monmouth County)
(Photo: The 200 Club of Monmouth County)
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He saved a stranded German shepherd mix dog named Loki by diving into a freezing Navesink River by putting the dog on a paddleboard until crew coaches from Rumson-Fair Haven High School came over to help.

Keyport Police Sergeant Christopher DeGroat was among the recipients receiving a Commendation Award for saving two kayakers and finding a missing person in the water.

Long Branch Police Detective Sergeant Robert Shamrock and Detectives Conor Mullan, David Stone, and Kevin Romano received Certificates of Recognition for their work on the Long Branch Special Investigations Unit and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Srike Force which brought down a massive drug distribution network last summer.

West Long Branch Police Officer David Brosonski was also recognized for his work as a Water Safety Instructor at the Monmouth County Police Academy.

He saved an 11-year old boy caught in a rip current at Deal Casino Beach last summer.

West Long Branch police sign
West Long Branch police sign (West Long Branch Police)
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“We have the utmost appreciation and respect for these individuals,” Benjamin J. Lucarelli, the President of The 200 Club of Monmouth County, said in a written statement. “These phenomenal first responders have served with distinction, and we value their heroism and dedication to Monmouth County.”

“Valor is courage and having that courage in a time of crisis, and being willing and able to act. Those who have it really don’t know what they have until events happen, and these officers exhibited that valor when the time came. In the face of adversity, they showed up and discovered who they are,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a statement.

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