Bergen County Judge Who Survived Paralyzing Accident At 17 Has Died At 73

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — When Michael Dressler was 17, in June 1970, he plunged into a wave at the Jersey Shore and broke his neck.

Dressler was on a post-prom trip to Seaside Park with friends from Cresskill High School, and he thought the area where he dove was 10 feet deep. But the wave was hiding a sandbar.

According to a biography, Dressler was read last rites at the hospital, and doctors told his parents he would die that night. He survived, got rehabilitation, and decided to go into public service.

Now the five-term Bergen County surrogate judge and former mayor has passed away at 73.

On Thursday, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco said, "Michael’s life was a story of resilience, determination, and service. After a tragic accident at the Jersey Shore left him paralyzed just days before his high school graduation, doctors told him he would not survive the night—yet Michael refused to give up."

Dressler went on to earn degrees from Bergen County Community College, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Seton Hall Law School, Tedesco said.

Dressler became a Cresskill councilman while still in law school, and at 31 was elected the town's mayor.

He was first elected a surrogate judge in 1996.

"For 29 years, Michael led the Surrogate’s Court with fairness and compassion," Tedesco said. "He built programs that became models across New Jersey, including the Guardianship Monitoring Program to protect our frail and elderly, and he worked to make the court more accessible to families by creating satellite offices and practical resources."

Rep. Josh Gottheimer said on Thursday, "Michael was a remarkable leader whose perseverance defined his decades of public service. Michael was an inspiration to all of us, and he will be deeply missed ... Michael exemplified Jersey Values."

Services have not been set as of this writing.