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Absecon City Council honors first responders and bystander for two life‑saving rescues
Summary
At its Sept. 4, 2025 meeting, the Absecon City Council recognized police, EMS personnel and a retired firefighter for life‑saving actions in two July incidents that stabilized patients and allowed families time to say goodbye; the council invited the rescued man to the meeting.
Absecon City Council on Sept. 4 recognized police officers, emergency medical personnel and a retired firefighter who helped save or stabilize residents in two July emergencies, praising coordinated response and bystander action.
The chief told the council that on July 25 officers and members of the Galloway Township Ambulance Squad responded to a residence where a man had collapsed; Douglas and Kristen Owen began CPR before responders arrived and police and EMS later regained a pulse. "We gather to honor real life moments when people took action," the chief said, adding that the responders "succeeded in regaining the pulse" and that the actions gave the family "something truly meaningful" — time to say goodbye.
The council also recognized a July 24 rescue at a Home Depot parking lot, when retired firefighter Phil Bole intervened after staff and responding Ge (Galloway) Township EMS personnel found a man in medical distress inside a vehicle. Officers deployed CPR and an automated external defibrillator; staff told the council the patient, identified in the meeting as Mr. Richard Ever (recorded variably in the transcript), was at the council meeting and appeared well.
Named recipients included EMS personnel Christina Caruso and Adam Dean and additional responders listed by the council: Anise de Janeiro, Evan Foli, Evan Hendrickson and Tom Bailey; police officers acknowledged included Sergeant Levin, Officer Daniel H., Officer Michael Barbo and Officer Joyce Lee. The presiding official and the chief thanked the responders for skill, urgency and compassion and asked the audience to join in recognizing them.
Councilmembers and attendees applauded the recipients. The mayor/presiding official invited those attending to remain briefly for photographs and then return to the regular agenda.
The recognition underscores the city’s reliance on training, coordinated emergency response with neighboring agencies and the role bystanders can play in urgent medical events. No formal action or ordinance resulted from the recognition; the council moved on to routine business after the ceremony.
