Make New York Post a Preferred Source They are some of the best apples.
Dozens of NYPD cops were recognized with awards and cheers from their fellow Finest this week at a Police Benevolent Association event in Queens.
“We know there are people out there who think they can do our job better, who want to tell us how to do our jobs,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said Thursday at the Finest of the Finest Awards at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach.
“But none of them ever had to face an individual who pulled out a gun, pointed at them, and started firing,” Hendry said. “None of them ever ran towards a burning car and rescued the person inside. None of them ever gave chest compressions to a baby who wasn’t breathing. All of you have done those things.”
The police officers honored for bravery included Officer Grant Pulgarin, who tackled a suspected home-grown terrorist who had just hurled an improvised explosive device into a crowd in an ISIS-inspired attack outside Gracie Mansion in Manhattan’s 19th Precinct on March 17.
“This officer was policing a demonstration outside Gracie Mansion when he spotted a man who had just thrown a fuse-lit bomb,” said PBA Treasurer Joe Strong. “He ran toward the danger and stopped the terrorist with a perfectly executed tackle, one that any NFL coach would be proud of.”
Pulgarin, who couldn’t comment on the case because it’s part of an active investigation, then held the terrorist down as he was handcuffed while his accomplice was arrested, Strong said. The officer was handed a plaque at the ceremony.
Also honored for their bravery, Officers Seoungjae Chung, Donglun Liu, Antonio Andreani and Lt. Michael Simmonds of Brooklyn’s 62nd Precinct shot and killed a meat cleaver-wielding, maniac after he stabbed four children in an 84th Street home on April 6, 2025.
The officers broke down the door to save the children, ages 8 to 16, who all miraculously survived their stab wounds, the PBA said.
“Upon arrival, these officers hearing screams from inside the apartment had to kick in the door to gain access,” PBA Recording Secretary George Winkler told the crowd of about 150. “Once inside, the perp charged the officers, who were forced to shoot and wound the suspect to put an end to the carnage.”
The PBA also honored the NYPD Harbor Unit’s officers Christopher Kessinger, Steven Westgate and Sgt. Jose Figueroa, who rescued sailors from a Mexican Navy vessel that struck the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in May 2025, leaving two crew members dead.
“If it weren’t for the expert efforts of these police officers, the toll would have been much higher,” Strong said. “These officers under very difficult and dangerous conditions, evacuated 19 victims, carrying them to safety and getting them the medical attention they needed.”
Police Officer Joseph Wetzel was honored for springing into action and saving a driver and passenger after a fiery crash in Wantagh, Long Island, on Feb. 4, despite being off-duty and on long-term medical leave as he underwent radiation treatments for cancer, he told The Post.
“I had breakfast with my father and as we were walking to the car, I heard a loud crash in the major intersection across the street and I turned and saw that there was a car flipped over,” said the 29-year-old, who received the PBA President’s Award.
He immediately ran across the street and noticed that the vehicle’s engine was in flames. A witness told him there were two people trapped inside the vehicle, he said.
“I always carry a knife that has an emergency tool that can break windows and cut seat belts and what not,” he said. “So I moved everyone away from the front window and I started smacking the window with the instrument and finally was able to break it and I cleared the glass with my bare hands.”
At the same time, witnesses were throwing ice at the fire and calling 911, he said. Someone else retrieved a fire extinguisher from a nearby gas station and put the flames out while he got the vehicle’s driver out.
“I crawled into the car and I assessed the welfare of the second person that was trapped and determined it would be safer to wait for the fire department,” which used the Jaws of Life, he said.
Both people inside the car were taken to the hospital and survived, he said.
“Hurry up,” he said when asked what he was thinking at the time of the incident. “At that moment, it’s all or nothing. Just get in there, break the window, clear the glass, get the people out.”
