Rockland Legislators Honor Spring Valley Police Officer For Daring Rescue

Rockland County Legislators Aron Wieder and Toney Earl honored three Village of Spring Valley Police Officers who braved fire and heavy smoke conditions to rescue three children.

The legislators, who represent Spring Valley in the Legislature, presented Police Officers Andrew Cole-Hatchard and Robert Romano and Detective Matthew Galli with the Distinguished Service Award, the Legislature’s highest honor.

Legislator Wieder said that many people facing a raging fire or other emergency turn the other way and put as much distance between themselves and danger as possible.

“But time and again, our emergency responders rise up to the challenge and literally make the difference between life and death.,” Legislator Wieder said. “Officers Cole-Hatchard and Romano and Detective Galli, on Dec. 23, 2021, you met the challenge before you and because of your courageous actions, three young children are alive and well today. Thank you hardly seems enough, but legislators and myself and everyone else in Rockland County do whole heartedly thank you.”

On Dec. 23, 2021, while many of us were finishing our holiday shopping and trying our best to stay healthy, the call went out: Structure fire on Columbus Avenue.

Arriving police officers found smoke billowing out of a top floor apartment. Later, it would be determined that the fire had started at a gas stove and a mother had been injured. Officers determined that her children – ages 1, 3 and 5 – were in the apartment.

Without regard for their own safety, officers immediately went to work searching for the children. Officer Andrew Cole-Hatchard, crawling on the floor due to the heavy smoke found them hiding in a bedroom under a blanket. He pulled the children out and carrying all three at once, began evacuating them from the building, with Officer Robert Romano and Detective Matthew Galli immediately aiding the effort.

The officers then reentered the building to make sure no one else was still inside.

Responding Spring Valley Fire Department Volunteers arrived quickly and went to work putting out the fire.

Thankfully, none of the children, police officers or firefighters were injured.

Legislators Wieder and Earl, who both have young grandchildren, said they could not imagine the horror of losing a child in such a tragedy, as some did in Sunday’s devastating fire in the Bronx that took the lives of 17 people, including eight children.

Legislator Earl said a hero is an ordinary person who faces extraordinary circumstances and acts with courage, honor and self-sacrifice.

“Officers Andrew Cole-Hatchard and Robert Romano and Detective Matthew Galli, on Dec. 23, 2021, you more than defined the meaning of the word hero,” Legislator Earl said. “Thank you for bringing those children out and returning them to their mother and to our entire community.”

Spring Valley Police Chief Richard Oleszczuk said he was proud of the efforts of all members of the Police Department.

“I’m proud of the men and women of the Spring Valley PD, the job they do every single day out there,” Chief Oleszczuk said. “There are countless things that don’t make the newspapers, but they still save lives, they save people, they keep people safe.”

Chief Oleszczuk added, “Every so often you get one of those things that goes above and beyond. This was truly one of those things that went above and beyond. I want to give my gratitude to the officers, not only the ones that are named here today because it’s always a team effort. There are always people behind the scenes… I want to say thank to say thank you to everybody that was involved in this.”

Legislator Wieder told the officers that while a Distinguished Service Award looks nice on a wall, its significance runs deeper.

“It shows the appreciation that people have for the job that you do,” Legislator Wieder said. “Again, I thank you for the job that you do. Not just on Dec. 23, 2021, but every day that you do your work.”