Bobbi Wilson, 9-year-old spotted lanternfly 'hero' from Caldwell, honored in Montclair

Bobbi Wilson, a 9-year-old girl from Caldwell, got a hero’s welcome last week in Montclair, where she was honored by Matt Platkin, the Attorney General of New Jersey, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stevens, Police Chief Todd Conforti, and a host of others.

In October, Wilson was spraying spotted lanternflies outside her house with a homemade solution when a police car pulled up and two Caldwell policemen approached and questioned her. Her next-door neighbor, former councilman Gordon Lawshe, had called them to report that a “little Black woman is walking and spraying stuff on the sidewalks and trees,” which, he said, “scares me.”

After the incident went viral, Wilson was recognized for her concern about the environment with a plaque by the Caldwell Environmental Commission and by Yale University, which organized a tour of future women scientists in her honor. On Friday, she was honored at an event at the Yale University School of Public Health for donating spotted lanternfly specimens to the school's Peabody Museum Entomology Division.

The idea for the Montclair event started when Montclair Police Officer Erica Petersen, who is Black, approached her colleague Lt. Tyrone Williams, who is active in the Montclair’s Minority Officers Association and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).

“She said she just wanted to contact Bobbi and her family and give them a hug,” Williams said. ”My response was, let’s give her a hug but on a larger scale.

“We wanted to make sure she understands that from a police enforcement standpoint she didn’t do anything wrong, and to let her know the police are her friends,” Williams said. “We also wanted to encourage her to continue her work in science.”

At the event at the Montclair Police Station, Wilson was presented with a basket of gifts and a plague and addressed by Petersen and the other officials.

“I just want you to know I am you, I see you, I represent you,” Petersen said.

“You're remarkable you're resilient, I’m in awe of the way you handled this entire situation,” said Conforti.

“I honor and celebrate Bobbi Wilson for her passion for science and environmental stewardship,” said Sherrill.

“I just want to commend you for everything you have done and taught us and taught me,” said Platkin.

Then, smiling, he asked for her recipe for her lanternfly-killing solution. “My 4-year-old asked."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Montclair honors Bobbi Wilson, Caldwell's spotted lanternfly 'hero'