On Thursday December 19, 2013 at approximately 12:53pm, the Manville Police Department was dispatched to May Place on the report of a structure fire with a possible entrapment. Lieutenant Thomas Herbst, Acting Sergeant Craig Jeremiah, Officer Michael Peterson, and Officer Christopher Morrison subsequently responded and arrived on location. They observed the residence to have black bellowing smoke coming from it. The officers then attempted to gain entry through the front entrance of the dwelling but were unsuccessful. They then responded to a side entrance and were successful in gaining entry. The residence was smoke filled and an active fire was located in the rear of the dwelling. Upon initial entry the officers could not observe or locate anyone in the residence due to the heavy smoke condition. Windows were then broken out which lead to the clearing of some of the interior smoke. The officers then located in the front portion of the residence an unconscious male victim, age 87. He was carried from the residence by the officers and subsequently Medevaced to St. Barnabas Hospital for treatment. The four officers were also treated for smoke inhalation.

Instead of exiting the residence upon encountering the initial wall of black smoke, the officers pressed ahead and ultimately recovered the unconscious victim who would have surely perished if not for their efforts.

March 4, 2013 - 2:28AM: North Branch Firefighters were dispatched early Monday morning for a smell of smoke in a residence on Magnolia Dr. in Branchburg. Within 4 minutes of dispatch, Deputy Chief Mike Russoniello and Chief Dave Hickson arrived on scene. Russoniello entered the structure to investigate. He found a light smoke condition in a second floor condominium. Investigating the origin of the smoke, he found a ground floor condominium with a yellow glaze in the windows and heavy smoke inside. With this discovery a second alarm was struck for help. . . . more

On April 29, 2013 at approximately 2:30pm the Bedminster Township Police were dispatched to a report of a burglary in progress on Riverwood Ave. Officers from Bedminster, Far Hills and Peapack & Gladstone all responded since the suspec twas spotted at the house. Arriving officers began a foot pursuit of the suspect. Eventually the suspect came to the edge of a 45 foot cliff overlooking the North Branch of the Raritan River. With officers on his heels he jumped off the cliff and landed head first in the fast moving river. It was raining that day and the river level was elevated and the current was moving rapidly. . . . more

The entire incident involving multiple Police Department and EMS agencies is a great example of how public safety agencies in Somerset County work together. Every first responder this day worked seamlessly together first to arrest a burglar who was in the process of committing a crime and then second to extricate and rescue him from a very hazardous environment. During the rescue phase of this incident the concerns of the rescuers were with the well being of the patient, but also that the prisoner would not attempt to escape from custody or attempt to harm his rescuers, one of which was not a law enforcement officer.

According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) swift moving water is very dangerous. Water that is only 6 inches deep can make a person fall. A foot of water will float many vehicles and two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including SUVs and pickups.

On November 13, 2013, Officer Sheffrin was the lead case agent whom along with members of the OCNTF had been conducting an ongoing investigation since October 2013 into the distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Heroin) from an apartment located on West Camplain Road in Manville. The suspect had a previous arrest for assault on a police officer. Task Force officers performed hours of surveillance on the suspect and through use of a reliable confidential informant and had purchased Heroin from the West Camplain Road apartment on multiple occasions. On one of these occasions, an undercover Task Force Officer was able to purchase a quantity of Heroin from the same location, which ultimately resulted in Officer Sheffrin seeking authorization for a Superior Court Search Warrant.. . .more