Attorney General: Two NJ Troopers 'Probably Saved Life' of Victim of Armored Truck Crash

Two off-duty New Jersey State Troopers on their way to work sprung into action after seeing and hearing reports of an armored truck crash.

According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Lt. Porfirio Ayala came upon the scene of the crash on Route 78 in Union Township and called for assistance as he rushed to assess the situation. Trooper Stephen Kempinski heard the call while on his way to work and rushed to the scene to see how he could assist Ayala.

Ayala told Kempinski the victim, identified as Fidel Martinez, 54, of Harrison, was bleeding heavily from a severe injury to his upper thigh, the attorney general said. Kempinski subsequently applied a tourniquet to the victim’s leg, stopping the bleeding.

The two troopers then removed Martinez from the vehicle after seeing diesel fuel spilling and pooling around their feet. Clinton Township Rescue Squad ultimately arrived and assumed care for Martinez.

Both Ayala and Kempinski took a tactical first aid course sponsored by the United States Army, which included training them in the use of tourniquets, the attorney general’s office said.

“These troopers were not on patrol or in uniform,” Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the State Police, said. “They were on their way to work, but they knew the duty to protect and serve the public is a 24/7 commitment. I could not be prouder of their fast actions in this critical response.”

Martinez was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethelehem, Pennsylvania, via medevac, where he remains in critical condition.

According to the attorney general’s office, Sharayah Gardner, 25, of Newark, the driver of the vehicle, lost control of the armored truck and struck a guide rail in the center median and then a bridge pillar. She was uninjured.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.