Official City of Huntsville / Huntsville Police Department source photo with ThinBlueNews headline overlay. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Three Huntsville Police Department officers have been honored after officials said they entered frigid, fast-moving floodwater to rescue a man who was stranded in a swollen creek during a December search. According to a City of Huntsville report, Sgt. William Cunningham, Officer Douglas Morris and Officer Kristin Miller received HPD Life-Saving Medals during the Feb. 12 City Council meeting for their actions on Dec. 5, 2025. The city said officers were sent shortly before 7:30 a.m. to the 4400 block of Millvale Drive after a resident reported that her brother had left home improperly dressed for near-freezing temperatures. Cunningham, Morris and Miller began searching the area. During that response, a second caller reported seeing the man jump into a nearby creek that had swollen after heavy rain, according to the city. The water and vegetation made the search difficult, and officials said the creek had widened to nearly 100 feet in places. Roughly 45 minutes into the response, the officers found the man on a small patch of grass in the middle of the … [Read more...] about Huntsville Officers Honored After Pulling Man From Frigid Floodwater
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Huntsville Officers Honored After Pulling Man From Frigid Floodwater
Aurora Police and Firefighters Rescue Driver From Hail-Hidden Floodwater
AURORA, Colo. — Aurora police officers and firefighters rescued a woman whose car became stuck after floodwater was hidden under hail during severe weather on Monday. WesternSlopeNow/FOX31 reported that the rescue happened around East Sixth Avenue and Sable Boulevard, citing a statement from the Aurora Police Department. A police photo showed the front of a red sedan sinking into a large pile of hail with floodwater underneath. Hidden floodwater under hail trapped the car The driver had entered an area that looked like hail accumulation but had floodwater underneath, according to the FOX31/WesternSlopeNow report. Aurora police officers and firefighters rescued the woman from the vehicle, and she did not require transport to a hospital, the report said. The photo published with the local report is attributed to Aurora police. ThinBlueNews used that real source-backed image for the featured/social image rather than a staged or AI-looking rescue graphic. Bodycam footage showed the rescue conditions Yahoo News UK, publishing Storyful video, reported that Aurora police released bodycam footage from June 1 showing an officer walking through deep rainwater to reach the stranded driver … [Read more...] about Aurora Police and Firefighters Rescue Driver From Hail-Hidden Floodwater
Arkansas State Police Honors Three Troopers With Trooper of the Year Award
BENTON, Ark. — Three Arkansas State Police troopers have been jointly honored with the agency’s Trooper of the Year Award for 2025 after officials credited them with courageous, decisive action during a dangerous encounter with a wanted suspect. The Arkansas Department of Public Safety announced that Trooper Ethan Hiland, Trooper First Class Brady Nuckels, and Trooper First Class Jacob Price received the recognition during the annual Arkansas State Police Awards Ceremony hosted by the Arkansas State Police Foundation at the Benton Event Center. According to the department, the three troopers were recognized for their actions during a June 2025 encounter involving Felipe Millan-Gomez, 33, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Arkansas officials said Millan-Gomez was wanted in connection with an armed carjacking and kidnapping reported in Manistee County, Michigan. Arkansas State Police said troopers and U.S. Marshals Service personnel located and stopped the suspect’s vehicle near Carlisle. The agency said Millan-Gomez exited the vehicle while brandishing a weapon; troopers discharged their firearms, and Millan-Gomez was pronounced dead at the scene. The department’s release states that … [Read more...] about Arkansas State Police Honors Three Troopers With Trooper of the Year Award
Marysville Police Bodycam Rescue Video Shows Training Behind Life-Saving Decisions
Newly released body-worn camera and training video from Washington state is giving the public a closer look at the preparation behind a dangerous rescue call that later became part of Marysville Police Department patrol-tactics training. The video posted by the City of Marysville says the footage came from a July 2, 2025, incident in which a man who had been shot multiple times was trapped inside a home with three young children while an armed suspect’s location had not been confirmed. According to the city’s description of the video, the call began as a routine aid response before escalating. The department said the incident has since become a cornerstone of its patrol-tactics training and is being used to emphasize coordination, preparation, and decisive action during high-stress rescue scenarios. The Lynnwood Times reported that Marysville Police released both the body-cam footage and a related training video to show the department’s public-safety focus and the role ongoing training can play in life-saving decisions. The rescue was also reflected in Marysville’s annual awards coverage. In a city News Flash, Marysville said the department honored a multi-agency team … [Read more...] about Marysville Police Bodycam Rescue Video Shows Training Behind Life-Saving Decisions
Robertson County Deputies, EMS and Dispatchers Honored After House Fire Rescue
ROBERTSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Robertson County deputies, dispatchers and EMS personnel were recognized after a bedridden woman was rescued from a burning home outside Springfield. Main Street Media of Tennessee reported that members of Robertson County Emergency Medical Services and the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office were honored at the May 18 County Commission meeting for the May 14 response at a home on Green Road. Dispatch stayed on the line as smoke spread According to the report, EMS Director Brent Dyer told commissioners that 911 dispatchers received a call shortly after 7 p.m. from a bedridden woman whose house was on fire. As units responded, the woman reported that smoke was making it harder to breathe and that she could feel the flames. Dyer credited dispatcher Kaylee Greer with remaining on the phone as the fire spread. The source report later lists the recognized 911 dispatch personnel as Kailey Greer, Tim Baxter, Danielle Jones, Tyler Poole and Derek Johnson; ThinBlueNews is preserving both spellings as they appeared in the source report rather than guessing at a correction. Deputies forced entry and pulled the woman out The first law-enforcement responder to arrive … [Read more...] about Robertson County Deputies, EMS and Dispatchers Honored After House Fire Rescue
Key West Officer Hailed as Hero After Rescuing Man and 161-Pound Great Dane From Lagoon
A Key West police officer is being praised after a water rescue that involved both a man and a very large dog. Officer Corey Vanderhoof jumped into the water near the Cow Key Bridge and rescued a man and his 161-pound Great Dane from the Hurricane Hole lagoon, according to Local 10 News, which cited information shared by the Key West Police Department. Local 10 reported that officers had responded after someone was heard yelling for help near the bridge. The man reportedly told police he had been struggling to keep himself and the dog afloat for nearly 20 minutes. According to that report, the Key West Police Department later shared the rescue publicly and hailed Vanderhoof as a hero. The public details available so far are limited, and ThinBlueNews is avoiding assumptions beyond what was reported. But the core of the story is clear: an officer heard a call for help, entered the water, and helped bring both a person and a family pet back to safety. The featured image for this article uses the source-backed photo published with Local 10’s report and attributed there to the Key West rescue story. It shows Vanderhoof with the rescued man and Great Dane after the … [Read more...] about Key West Officer Hailed as Hero After Rescuing Man and 161-Pound Great Dane From Lagoon
Cheltenham Officers, Detectives and Store Manager Honored for Life-Saving Five Below Stabbing Response
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Two Cheltenham Township police officers, two detectives and a Five Below store manager were honored by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele for the response to a stabbing that authorities said nearly killed a store security guard. The Mercury reported that Cheltenham detectives Philip Degliomini and Matthew Gonglik, officers Stewart Coyle and Sean Maguire, and Five Below manager Loresha McCray received commendations during Steele’s May 13 law-enforcement ceremony at the county Public Safety Training Campus. Patrol-car transport when minutes mattered The case centered on a Dec. 6, 2024 attack at the Five Below in the Greenleaf Shopping Center on West Cheltenham Avenue. The Mercury reported that a security guard had been stabbed in the lung and side after confronting a shoplifting suspect. According to Steele’s remarks as reported by the outlet, Officer Maguire and Officer Coyle found the victim in a pool of blood and slipping in and out of consciousness. The officers decided there was not enough time to wait for EMS and drove the guard to Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital in a patrol vehicle. Steele said that fast transport helped … [Read more...] about Cheltenham Officers, Detectives and Store Manager Honored for Life-Saving Five Below Stabbing Response
Retired Pittsburgh Officer Daniel Mead Honored as Hometown Hero for Tree of Life Response
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania has presented retired Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Officer Daniel Mead with a U.S. Department of Justice/United States Attorney’s Office “Hometown Hero Award,” recognizing his bravery and sacrifice during the response to the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement, Mead received the award during a brief ceremony at Pittsburgh Bureau of Police headquarters in front of the department’s command staff. The office said the Hometown Hero Award is being offered in commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary and honors people who exemplify liberty, service, civic responsibility, and steadfast commitment to community. Federal prosecutors said Mead and his partner, Michael Smidga, were the first officers to arrive at the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018, after 911 calls reported an active shooter. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Mead approached the entrance, observed the shooter inside the building, and was shot through the hand before having to retreat. The same announcement noted that Mead was one of four police officers and SWAT operators shot … [Read more...] about Retired Pittsburgh Officer Daniel Mead Honored as Hometown Hero for Tree of Life Response
Chester County Deputy Threatt Credited With Pulling Driver From Burning Car on I-77
A South Carolina deputy is being credited with saving a woman's life after a serious crash left a vehicle overturned and partially on fire on Interstate 77 in Chester County. According to WRDW/WAGT reporting and a WBTV body-camera video page, the rescue happened Saturday, May 23, on I-77 North near Old Richburg Road in Richburg, South Carolina. Watch the body-camera video: WBTV published the body-camera footage from the I-77 rescue below. Video source: WBTV / Chester County Sheriff’s Office body-camera video. The report said Deputy Threatt was called to a serious single-vehicle crash. When he arrived, the vehicle was overturned and partially on fire. According to the Chester County Sheriff's Office account cited by WRDW, Threatt risked his own safety, used a knife to cut the driver's seatbelt, and pulled the driver out safely. “As I was getting ready to go in and get her, I kept thinking, ‘This car could blow up at any moment. This is where me and her meet God,’” Threatt said, according to WRDW. The outlet reported that authorities later learned the victim was an out-of-state resident traveling to Charlotte after finishing radiation treatment for breast … [Read more...] about Chester County Deputy Threatt Credited With Pulling Driver From Burning Car on I-77
Lebanon Township Police Chief Honored After Pulling Woman From Delaware River Current
A New Jersey police chief is being honored after a Delaware River rescue that the woman he pulled from the water says saved her life. According to reporting by Suzanne Russell for MyCentralJersey.com, Lebanon Township Police Chief Jason Cronce will be honored by the 200 Club of Hunterdon County after rescuing Kathy Van Duyne during a tubing trip on Aug. 17, 2025. MyCentralJersey reported that Cronce was floating the Delaware River with a group of about 20 people when Van Duyne hit a fallen tree at a bend in the river. Her tube popped up, but she did not immediately resurface. Cronce told the outlet that he pushed off the tree and was pulled underwater by the current. He later learned that low water from drought conditions had made the current faster and stronger. Van Duyne wrote in a letter to the Lebanon Township Committee that the impact flipped her, slammed her back into the tree, and pulled her underwater, according to the report. She wrote that Cronce’s quick thinking, strength, and selflessness saved her life. Cronce said the rescue was instinctive. “When I felt her, I just pulled. I didn’t realize she was stuck,” he told MyCentralJersey. About 35 feet … [Read more...] about Lebanon Township Police Chief Honored After Pulling Woman From Delaware River Current