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Homestead officer given Life‑Saving Award after pulling boy from hanging, chief says decisive action saved a life
Summary
The City of Homestead presented Officer Daniel Cella with the Homestead Police Department Life‑Saving Award after he entered a home, cut a young man from a hanging and provided emergency care; Chief Mario Knapp described the rescue as decisive action under extreme pressure.
Mayor Steven Losner and Homestead Police Chief Mario Knapp formally recognized Officer Daniel Cella at the March 18 council presentation ceremony for intervening in what was dispatched as a suspected suicide. Chief Knapp described the January 19 incident and the response that led to the award.
Chief Mario Knapp said Officer Cella arrived to find a young man hanging inside a residence, shattered a front window, entered alone without waiting for backup and improvised to free the victim. "He retrieved a tool... grabbed the scissor, and started to cut him down," Knapp said, describing efforts to maintain an open airway and the victim’s slow return of life.
"This was courage. This was decisiveness under pressure," Knapp said, adding that Officer Cella’s actions preserved the life of the young man and altered the outcome for the victim’s family. The police chief presented Cella with the department’s Life Saving Award.
Officer Daniel Cella, accepting the commendation, offered a brief statement of gratitude: "I want to say thank you to the city and the department ... they are all very hard‑working individuals and we're proud to serve this community." Mayor Losner and council members joined in applause and invited family and procurement staff for photos after the recognition.
The presentation closed the ceremony portion of the meeting and preceded the council’s regular business. No disciplinary or investigative action was mentioned in the meeting record; the award recognized the officer’s actions on January 19 as described by the chief.
