North Hampton police chief, family praise officers for heroic actions in fatal car crash

NORTH HAMPTON — Police Chief Robert LaBarge Jr. knew he had a Police Department to be proud of, and at a recent Select Board meeting he told the community why.

Only a month on the job, LaBarge discovered the commitment his small group of officers has to the public watching them respond to the Sept. 14 tragedy that took the life of an 82-year-old Greenland woman. The woman was traveling west on Lovering Road when she crashed into an unoccupied parked delivery van.

A cop for 34 years before coming to North Hampton, LaBarge told the Select Board that responding to tragedies isn’t new to him. But the actions of two of his officers, Sergeants Kyle Manlow and Paul Yanakopulos, who arrived at the accident scene first, impressed him.

“What made their actions genuinely remarkable was the speed, skill and determination in which they approached the situation,” LaBarge said.

He isn’t alone in that opinion. LaBarge said three firefighters at the scene reached out to him to commend Manlow and Yanakopulos for “the swift and proficient CPR administered by both sergeants.”

“They said their actions gave her a fighting chance for survival,” LaBarge said. “They actually got a pulse.”

Even after firefighters took over emergency care, Manlow and Yanakopulos supported their efforts, LaBarge said, attending to traffic and equipment at the scene, ensuring the woman was safely transferred to the ambulance.

“They collaborated seamlessly with their fellow first responders,” LaBarge said, “exemplifying the essence of teamwork and the importance of unified effort during emergencies.

“As your chief,” LaBarge continued, “I can’t express how proud I am of the exceptional work done by these two sergeants. It reflects on their commitment to public safety and to the North Hampton Police Department.”

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Yanakopulos and Manlow stayed in North Hampton while others left

Yanakopulos and Manlow have been through some tough times recently, as their department lost about two-thirds of its officers within about six months.

A native of Medford, Massachusetts, Yanakopulos is a graduate of UMass Amherst and arrived at North Hampton Police Department in 2015. In 2021, former Police Chief Kathryn Mone nominated him for the department’s 524 Award, saying he handled every call with an open perspective, always seeking to find a solution to any problem.

Manlow hails from California, traveling to the Granite State to initially play hockey and get his college degree in criminal justice at New England College. He joined North Hampton police about seven years ago and raises money for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth in his spare time, playing in the annual Battle of the Badges Hockey Game.

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The two sergeants stood behind LaBarge as he spoke at the meeting. Both were silent, looking a little embarrassed with all the attention. But the room was filled with members of the Greenland woman's family, who stood to applaud when LaBarge was done.

Away from the podium’s microphone, one of the daughters of the 82-year-old Greenland woman rose to speak to the Select Board. She took the time to attend the meeting, she said, to say thank you. As her sister rose beside her, they turned to Manlow and Yanakopulos.

“We want to tell you how deeply grateful we are to you,” she said, her voice trembling.

Select Board member James Sununu thanked LaBarge for taking the time to bring the information to the board.

“We don’t often hear enough about what our first responders do,” Sununu said.

Select Board member Jim Maggiore agreed.

“First responders have this superhuman ability to run to danger when the rest of us are taught … have an instinct, to flee danger,” he said. “They run to protect us. Every time we see them, we should say ‘thank you.’”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: North Hampton police chief praises officers for actions in fatal crash