CPR Saves Life At Grocery Store, Anne Arundel Officers Awarded

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Four Anne Arundel County police officers earned a national honor this week for saving a life at a grocery store. For one of the officers, it was her second life saved that week.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund on Tuesday announced Anne Arundel County Police Department Cpls. Lauren Pridgen, Christopher Terenyi, James Sears and Patrick Madera as its Officers of the Month for September 2025.

"I am incredibly proud of Corporal Pridgen, Corporal Terenyi, Corporal Sears, and Corporal Madera," Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad told Patch in a Thursday statement. "Their swift and decisive life-saving measures are a profound testament to their dedication and training. For Corporal Pridgen, to help save a second life in just three days is truly remarkable, and all four exemplify the very best of the Anne Arundel County Police Department."

On Aug. 22, Pridgen heard a call for a cardiac arrest at an Annapolis Safeway supermarket and responded with an Automated External Defibrillator. She took over CPR from a civilian and administered a crucial shock.

Terenyi, Sears and Madera quickly joined in life-saving efforts. Their collective CPR restored the victim's pulse and breathing. The patient was alert and breathing on his own by the time he was loaded into the ambulance.

A video of the save is posted here.

Pridgen saved another life three days earlier.

A driver had a stroke on Aug. 19 in Edgewater. Their vehicle left the roadway and went down a wooded embankment near Solomons Island Road and Virginia Avenue.

Pridgen and two fellow officers, Cpls. Bryan Mitchell and Christopher Skirchak, arrived within two minutes of the call. They smashed a window to reach the driver, pulled him from the wreckage and administered CPR until the man regained a pulse. He is now recovering, alert and reunited with his family.

Footage from the rescue is available here.

"These officers are heroes, and their actions serve to highlight the countless acts of valor which often go unnoticed and without the recognition or fanfare such acts deserve," William Alexander, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, said in a statement. "We are humbled and proud to honor Corporal Pridgen as our Officer of the Month for September 2025."

The Officer of the Month Award Program is sponsored by the Police Unity Tour and recognizes exemplary federal, state and local officers.