Bergen County 'Hometown Heroes' Honored In Ceremony

BERGEN COUNTY — In acknowledgment of — and a thank you to — their compassion and dedicated service to improve the lives of others, 28 Bergen County residents were honored as "Hometown Heroes," in a ceremony on Friday at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center.

Held by Congressman Josh Gottheimer, the ceremony honored local leaders and volunteers, first responders, military veterans, and life-saving bystanders.

“We are lucky to have so many unsung heroes in our communities here today, whose quiet power of service goes on every day without the recognition they truly deserve. They just do it because they care. Today is their day," Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) said. "Without the people we are recognizing today, our communities would not be as strong as they are, and North Jersey would not be the great place that it is."

In order of appearance, the honorees, each nominated by local officials, are:

Shaun Hutchinson, Park Ridge, Bergen County — a 20-year U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan in special operations, andwho is now the Bergen County Division Director of Veterans Affairs.

Regina & Dimitri Viadro, Glen Rock, Bergen County — who organized an “Art for Peace” silent auction to support the people of Ukraine, raising $20,000 for the Lelaka Foundation to send medical supplies to war-torn Ukraine.

Matthew Murphey, Ridgewood, Bergen County — a 20-year Ridgewood resident, who has served as the Superintendent of the Ramsey Public Schools since 2012 and is retiring.

Daniel Ricciardella, Westwood, Bergen County — a lifelong North Jersey resident and LiUNA Local 79 member, who, Gottheimer said, was stuck in traffic on the George Washington Bridge when he saw a person exit their car and climb over the bridge railing. Ricciardella was able to grab them as they let go of the bridge, telling the person “there is always another way," and helping save the person’s life.

Teri Capparelli, Westwood, Bergen County — a 20-year Westwood resident, who helps nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity; helps to bring together women to volunteer and break barriers, Gottheimer said; and, during the pandemic, led “Desks for Homes,” delivering desks to students in need.

Search & Rescue K-9 Remi, Maywood, Bergen County — posthumous — Bergen County’s first K-9 bloodhound, which had more than 300 saves and made a name for herself by finding a missing 13-year-old. Remi’s handler, Detective Christopher Nichols, accepted the award on her behalf.

Jeff Pavell, Haworth, Bergen County — a 25-year Haworth resident, who is a physician and Chief of Rehabilitation Medicine at Englewood Hospital, where he helps save lives. Pavell also serves as President of the Haworth 5K, which has raised $500,000+ to help local nonprofits.

George Carter, Oradell, Bergen County — posthumous — a 60-year Oradell resident focused on serving his community, by reading to elementary students and local schools, serving with the Oradell Swim Club, Oradell Zoning Board, and Oradell Library, and as an emcee for festivals and services, Gottheimer said.

Anne Brenneke, Waldwick, Bergen County — a resident nurse celebrating 50 years of service at Valley Health System, with awards from Columbia University and the New Jersey Department of Health; who has helped care for countless patients; and who established Valley Health's first outpatient ostomy clinic, the only nurse-run outpatient facility of its kind in Northern New Jersey.

Chris Illescas, Westwood, Bergen County — a U.S. Army veteran who was deployed to Kuwait and who currently serves in the Army National Guard. A “Bergen County Veteran of the Week,” he also works with Habitat for Humanity, and serves as Vice Commander at Lodi American Legion Post 136 and Quartermaster at Lodi VFW Post 5082.

Sam Doran & Maclane “Mac” Doran, New Milford and River Edge, Bergen County — two brothers, both police officers. Mac, with the River Edge Police Department, helped rescue a troubled 14-year-old who began drowning after jumping in the Hackensack River and who was then taken to a hospital for treatment. Two months later, Sam, with the New Milford Police Department, found the same teenager sitting on the New Bridge Road Bridge railing, and talked for more than half an hour, helped calm them down, and "turned a fist bump into an opportunity" to pull the teen down and off the railing to safety, the news release said.

Dee Gillen, Haworth, Bergen County — In 2019, Gillen started the Black Poster Project, with 50 posters that reflect the faces and information of overdose victims. Since then, the project has grown to 460 posters, representing souls lost across the U.S., and she brings together grieving families, people in recovery, and local communities, to educate about the dangers of alcohol and drug use, Gottheimer said.

Thomas Jung, Old Tappan, Bergen County — a 47-year Old Tappan resident, a life member of the Old Tappan Volunteer Fire Department, rising to the rank of chief. He currently serves as the president of the department, department engineer, and head of driver training. He also serves as a senior leader in the Department of Public Works and as the borough's recycling coordinator.

Allen Weitzman, Fair Lawn, Bergen County — a 40-year Fair Lawn resident, Vietnam War veteran, and architect, who helped design the Fair Lawn Community Center, volunteers as the Vice President of the Fair Lawn Economic Development Corporation, serves as the Chair of the Current Events Club at a Paterson senior center. He also serves as a local chair for Heroes to Heroes, an organization that supports veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

John Clark, Westwood, Bergen County — a Westwood resident who realized during the pandemic how many people run by his house every day. So, he made a point to make sure he and his wife waved to all of them, even during cold winter months. As time went on, the town grew to know John and his house as a nice community member who would always say, "Hi." His “followers,” Gottheimer said, started beeping and honking, and stopping to chat, and a few even stopped to give him ice cream.

Edward Clark, Oakland, Bergen County — 25-year Oakland resident, who, on the Shade Tree Commission, is responsible for crafting and implementing a new updated tree protection ordinance adopted by the town earlier this year. He also oversees a tree inventory project to help the borough map all of the street trees in an online database. He even serves on the Bush Plaza Park Committee, which is tasked with developing the borough's downtown corridor into a passive park, the news release said.

Bryan Wiescenski, Westwood, Bergen County — Teaneck Fire Department lieutenant and honor guard and color guard member. He has even performed at minor league baseball games and for the New York Giants at Metlife stadium. He was also selected as Firefighter of the Year by the Teaneck FMBA Local 242, where he is a member, and by the Teaneck Chamber of Commerce in 2017.

Vincent Vicari, Mahwah, Bergen County — a lifelong Bergen County resident, a board member of the North New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center at Ramapo College. He helped lead and put together Ramapo college’s specialized Economic Recovery Task Force, which is teams of students and professors that aids small businesses as the state recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. He is also the winner of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association's Executive of the Year Award 2021.

Timothy Erstling, Upper Saddle River, Bergen County — who served with the Maryland State Police for nearly seven years, and then applied to serve in the Upper Saddle River Police Department. During Hurricane Ida, he used a high water rescue vehicle to save the lives of motorists stranded inside their vehicles, Gottheimer said. On top of that, he has pulled victims out of burning cars. After the Uvalde shooting, he began volunteering his time to provide security at local schools.

Other honorees who were not able to attend include:

Dre Gibbs (posthumous), Wyckoff, Bergen County, coach

Larry Inserra, Mahwah, Bergen County, business owner

Bob Cook, Alpine, Bergen County, BergenPac board

Anthony Mobilio, Lodi, Bergen County, Lodi Police Department lieutenant

Susan Zabransky, Saddle River, Bergen County, Organized memorial run for daughter

Kenneth O'Donnell, Bogota, Bergen County, Police Officer

Megan Ackers Smith, Emerson, Bergen County, church pantry volunteer

Carol Greene, Mahwah, Bergen County, Historian

Alex Helmer, Allendale, Bergen County, police officer