Westfield Officers Commended For Aiding Veteran In Crisis

WESTFIELD, NJ - Several Westfield police officers who helped to find a missing marine veteran in crisis were commended in a statement from the department Thursday.

Dispatcher Peter Testa and Officer Donald Picciano were “instrumental in preventing a threatened suicide” posted to Facebook by the veteran, according to a letter from the veteran’s cousin shared by Westfield police. Officers Fourre, Santangelo and Went were also named by Westfield police as instrumental in locating the veteran.

The veteran (who, after a wellness check, was found not to be at his Pine Hill home on Monday but in Westfield), was located by Picciano unharmed. The officer then swiftly made arrangements for the veteran to be transported to Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth after terminating that the Pine Hill resident required emergency mental health intervention, the letter reads.

The veteran’s small dog, who was found with him in Westfield, was taken back to the precinct where Testa provided the pet with food and water.

“Please extend my most sincere thanks and appreciation to Dispatcher Testa and Officer Picciano for their kind compassion toward both my cousin and his dog,” the letter reads. “They are to be commended for their coordinated quick responses and all of their efforts taken to locate [the veteran], which were key in the prevention of what could have resulted in yet another tragic veteran suicide.”