Teaneck PBA Hopes Reflective Vest, Coat Helps Motorists See Business District Fixture, 79

At 79, Patty Mare has become a familiar figure in Teaneck, assisting local merchants as she shuttles from storefront to storefront. But not everyone instantly sees her as she crosses busy Cedar Lane.

(l. to r.): With Patty and her sister, Susie, are Teaneck Police Detectives Michael Sunga and Ronald Boswell, Officer James Hoover, Detective Lt. Seth Kriegel, Officer Craig Luebeck and Detective Sgt. Michael Moliere
Photo Credit: *Teaneck PBA*

Jerry DeMarco

10/21/2019 7:35 p.m.

Concerned for Mare's safety, members of Teaneck PBA Local #215 gave her a reflective vest and winter coat.

Mare, who is developmentally disabled, lives near bustling Cedar Lane with her sister, Susie.

“She’s a fixture in town and has been walking her ‘route’ up and down the business district for years,” Detective Lt. Seth B. Kriegel said.

“Her unofficial job has been as a courier of sorts for local businesses, often bringing them things and making deliveries between merchants who often cannot leave their stores because they're there alone,” said Kriegel, the commander of his department’s Juvenile Bureau.

“I’ve known her since I was a teenager hanging out on Cedar Lane,” the lieutenant said, “and I realized watching her cross recently that it may be difficult for motorists to see her given her short stature and slow gait.”

PBA members chipped in to buy Mare the vest and three-season coat, both reflective.

“Police Chief Glenn O'Reilly has made pedestrian safety one of his top initiatives this year,” Kriegel said. “Hopefully this can avert a tragedy.”

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