Woodbridge recognizes police officers with yearly honors
Officer Matthew Murdoch, a member of the Woodbridge Police Department's radio patrol division, was recently honored as the Woodbridge Police Department Officer of the Year 2022 in a ceremony that also included the promotion of another officer and the appointment of three new officers.
During the ceremony last week with Mayor John McCormac and other township officials, Sgt. Benjamin Stevenson, a 17-year department veteran, was promoted to lieutenant and Officers George Awad, Meghan Lyons and Cristian Lazaro Minsal were appointed to the police department and will be assigned to the radio patrol division.
In addition, officers were recognized for excellence in education and life-saving actions above and beyond the call-of-duty.
Murdoch was recognized for demonstrating a commitment to policing, law enforcement and public safety through a proactive approach that included patrol activities and traffic enforcement, criminal investigation, arrest procedures and public safety initiatives.
During 2022, Murdoch responded to 2,037 calls that included 441 special checks and 241 motor vehicle stops, along with self-initiated law enforcement-related investigations resulting in the issuance of traffic summonses, DWI summonses, enforcement of arrest warrants and other arrests.
Local:Floor & Decor store looks to replace Kmart site in Woodbridge
Stevenson, who began as sergeant in June 2017, has served in the Radio Patrol Division, first as a patrol officer and upon his promotion to sergeant, as a squad sergeant. Upon his promotion to lieutenant, Stevenson will continue to serve in the Radio Patrol Division as a shift commander.
Awad, 38, of the Colonia section, is a 2002 graduate of J.P. Stevens High School and has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Rutgers University. He previously worked as a screening officer with the TSA and a canine handler with the Amtrak Police Department.
Lyons, 23, of Iselin section, graduated from J.F. Kennedy Memorial High School in 2016 and represents the third generation of her family to join the Woodbridge Police Department. Her grandfather is retired Woodbridge Police Lt. Thomas Scanlon, her father retired Detective Christopher Lyons and her mother, Jane Lyons, currently serves as a 911 Manager in the police department's communications bureau.
Lazaro Minsal, 26, of the Port Reading section, is a 2013 graduate of Woodbridge High School who graduated from Lincoln Tech Union in 2014 and enlisted and served in the U.S. Air Force as Airman E-2 and is currently active in the National Guard Air Force Reserve. He is the second member of his family to serve as a township police officer by joining his sister, Officer Jessenia Minsal.
Also honored was Officer William Petrovey who received the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Academic Achievement. Petrovey has a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University; master’s degree from Seton Hall University Police Graduate Studies Program in the Human Resources Training and Development Track; Education Specialist Degree and most recently pursued doctorate degree of higher education at Seton Hall University.
Detective Perry Penna and Officer Orlando Faria received the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Public Safety & Life-Saving Action for their work on Nov. 27, 2022, responding to a medical emergency in the Avenel section where they located a woman unconscious and not breathing. Penna, a certified EMT, immediately began chest compressions while Faria prepared and initiated the AED and administered a resuscitation shock to the patient. The patient was revived and regained a pulse and normal breather and was taken to the hospital where she made a full recovery.
The Public Safety & Life-Saving Action award also was presented to Officer Preet Karan Singh who on Nov. 6, 2022, responded to the bridge on northbound Route 9 on a report of a disabled vehicle and found an unoccupied van parked on the shoulder of the roadway with the keys in the ignition. Singh then spotted a 58-year-old man standing on a small ledge on the outside of the guardrail threatening to jump. Singh engaged the distraught man in conversation in an attempt to distract and calm him and ultimately convinced the male to climb back over the railing to safety.
“The public safety mission of the Woodbridge Police Department is our most important priority. As a result of our commitment to public safety, combined with the increased assignment of uniformed officers to street patrol, the Woodbridge Police Department continues to maintain police ranks at a maximum staffing level effectively protecting public safety," McCormac said.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Woodbridge recognizes police officers with yearly honors
