In a Dec. 12, 2019, ceremony held at the Suffolk County (New York) police headquarters, Chief Stuart Cameron and Deputy Inspector David Regina presented Officer Richard J. Gandolfo with the Carnegie Medal.
On Nov. 7, 2019, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild presented Carnegie Hero Robert M. Hosey, of Coplay, Pa., the Carnegie Medal during a ceremony held in her office in Allentown, Pa. Wild represents Pennsylvania’s seventh district.
Gandolfo and Hosey pulled a 19-year-old girl from a burning SUV after an April 20, 2018, accident in which the front of her vehicle became stuck under the rear of a tractor trailer in East Patchogue, N.Y.
“Officer Gandolfo’s actions were nothing short of heroic. This young woman’s decision to drive drunk could have ended tragically had it not been for the brave individuals who came to her rescue and saved her life,” said Geraldine Hart, Suffolk County Police commissioner, in a Facebook post about Gandolfo’s ceremony.
Gandolfo told Newsday in a Dec. 14, 2019 article how thankful he was that Hosey came to assist him during the rescue. “Thank God that civilian came when he came. You know how many people passed us and didn’t stop,” he said.
