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Daniele, a 29-year veteran, was honored with a Life-Saving Citation from Mayor Michael Johnson and the Haledon Municipal Council on Thursday, March 13, for his quick-thinking actions that helped revive a driver in cardiac arrest.
At the ceremony, where the victim was sitting in the audience, Daniele recalled the moment his ordinary day turned into a life-or-death rescue.
Daniele was leaving work slightly later than usual on Feb. 17 when he came across a vehicle up against a guardrail on Hamburg Turnpike with people standing around, he said.
“At first, everyone thought it was just a routine crash,” Daniele told the crowd at the ceremony. “But no.”
"As I’m walking to the car, all I hear is, ‘The driver is having a heart attack.’”
Daniele immediately called in the emergency over his police radio, requesting backup.
"Seconds count. Every single minute counts,” he said.
At that moment, Daniele spotted Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah, who also happened to be passing by.
“We looked at each other like, ‘What are you doing here?’” Daniele recalled.
With no time to waste, the two sprang into action, pulling the unresponsive driver from the vehicle. Wayne Police Officer Alexis Losito was also on scene.
"Losito checked for a pulse, and I said, ‘You know what, you gotta act quick.’"
Daniele and Losito worked together, ripping off the man’s jacket and shirt in one motion as they removed him from the vehicle, and prepared to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). That's when additional officers arrived for backup.
At the chaotic intersection, officers scrambled to secure the scene as Daniele performed lifesaving chest compressions.
"When you gasped for air, that was the best feeling ever," Daniele later told the man whose life he saved.
Thanks to their quick response, the man regained consciousness and was transported to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson by Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad, police said.
His spouse, also injured in the crash, was hospitalized as well, and seated next to him at the ceremony.
Daniele, humbled by the honor, reflected on how a seemingly routine day had taken a drastic turn.
“Everyone knows the expression, ‘Where’s a cop when you need one?’” he said.
“Well, myself and Officer Losito just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
Daniele received his Life-Saving Citation at the Haledon Mayor and Council Meeting, where the driver he saved and his spouse were both present to thank him in person.
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