West Orange Officer Receives Valor Award

More than five months after talking a man down off the Thomas Edison Water Tower, the 200 Club of Essex County presented the West Orange officer involved with a Valor Award this week.

"It was nice that he came down on his own and no one got hurt," Lt. Timothy Brennan. "It was a relief."

Brennan was recognized Thursday by the club at the 2013 Valor Awards luncheon at Mayfair Farms, 481 Eagle Rock Ave., in West Orange, for spending hours in the early morning on Dec. 17, 2012, saving a man's life. 

"Eventually we got him to come down," Brennan said. "It was a long five hours of talking."

When Brennan was called to work at 2 a.m. that day as a crisis negotiator, it was raining and cold as a man threatened to jumped off the 300-foot water tower.

"We started a dialogue with him," Brennan said. "I just kept talking to him about his personal history." 

It took five hours with a few scares where the officer said the man called for the camera crews to watch him jump but police helped him down. 

"There was a part where he actually came over the railing and was leaning forward, hanging off, saying I've had enough," Brennan said.

The 50-year-old officer, with 23-years as a West Orange police officer, said he was thankful for the award but seemed more happy that the man has been OK.

Brennan added, "It's nice when you can help someone like that. We've checked in on him and he's doing pretty well."