• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
PAPBA

Port Authority Police Benevolent Association Inc.

Trained, Tested, True Blue

  • Members
  • Store
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Vimeo
  • Home
  • About
    • PAPBA Mission
    • PAPBA History
    • PAPD History
    • Executive Board
    • President’s Message
    • Officer Testimonials
    • PBA Canteen
    • Pipes and Drums Band
  • News
    • PAPBA News
    • Endorsements
    • FBI Most Wanted
  • What We Do
    • Aviation
    • Bus Terminals
    • Bridges and Tunnels
    • Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH)
    • World Trade Center (WTC)
    • Marine Terminals
    • Police Academy
    • Special Operations
  • Affiliates
  • In Memoriam
    • Fallen Officers
    • Survivor Assistance
    • Never Forget
      • September 11, 2001
      • Our Flag
      • Honored on Top of the World
      • December 29, 1975
      • February 26, 1993
  • Contact
  • Members
  • Store
  • Donate
Search

News

NYC officers that stopped pipe bomb suspect, Army and Marine veterans

December 13, 2017 by PAPBA

The four officers with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are being hailed as heroes for quickly subduing the suspect in Monday’s explosion at a New York transit hub before he was able to do anything else.

The Port Authority Police Benevolent Association identified the officers as:

  1. Sean Gallagher, an ex-Marine.
  2. Drew M. Preston, a soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  3. John ‘Jack’ F. Collins, who’s also a lawyer.
  4. Anthony Manfredini, a former Marine, and bomb technician.

“Today, four courageous Port Authority police officers risked their lives confronting an armed terrorist to protect others from harm,” said Paul Nunziato, the union president, in a statement Monday.

“I am so thankful there was no loss of life, and I could not be prouder of our Port Authority police officers, their actions, and dedication to their sworn duty.”

The four officers happened to be assigned to the Port Authority Bus Terminal police command at the right time.

Manfredini was first at the scene – a walkway linking the bus terminal to the subway system, according to Bobby Egbert, an association spokesman.

The officer saw panicked commuters running out of the passageway, Egbert said. He made a radio call and, soon, the others joined him as smoke and debris filled the tunnel.

Officials said Akayed Ullah, 27, set off a pipe bomb strapped to his chest Monday morning in the underground walkway.

Ullah and five others were injured in the blast, which triggered panic in the busy commuter hub during rush hour.

Manfredini encountered the suspect on the floor with what he said appeared to be shrapnel wounds, Egbert said.

The officers saw wires running from the suspect’s jacket to his pants, according to Egbert. Ullah was reaching for a cell phone, which the officers knew from training could be used as a detonator.

After a brief struggle, they managed to separate Ullah from his phone, Egbert said.

Once Ullah was in custody, the officers began to evacuate commuters safely.

Members of the bomb squad cleared the suspect of any additional explosive devices before he was transported to a hospital, according to Egbert.

Collins arrested Ullah at gunpoint with the help of the other officers, WABC reported. He was working his regular assignment on the lookout for child trafficking at the bus terminal.

Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole praised the four officers for swiftly putting an end to the situation.

“Thanks to the quick response of these brave Port Authority Police officers, the suspect was apprehended.

There were no serious injuries and the PABT was secured without further incident,” O’Toole said, according to WABC. “Our officers responded immediately and put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public.”

Original Article

Filed Under: In the News

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

Quick acting officers save life of construction worker at Laguardia Airport

September 10, 2020

QUEENS, New York (WABC) — Officers are being praised for their quick action that save the life… Read More

HEROES: Port Authority Police Revive Stricken Construction Worker At LaGuardia

September 10, 2020

A group of Port Authority police officers revived a construction worker who suffered a medical episode… Read More

‘Never forget’ 9/11 vow still means so much to so many

September 10, 2020

Sister of victim, Andy Card and Bill Bratton all to honor heroes who sacrificed their lives that day… Read More

More News

Copyright © 2021 Port Authority Police Benevolent Association Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Website designed and developed by 911MEDIA.

Executive Email