HACKETTSTOWN, New Jersey — Several Hackettstown Police Department members were recognized during a Town Council meeting for lifesaving actions, exceptional duty and service to the community, according to WRNJ Radio.

The recognitions included Lifesaving Awards for Officer Holly Whitmore, Officer Alex DiCairano and Officer Anthony Cossio, WRNJ reported.

Whitmore was honored for her actions on Oct. 10, 2025, after responding to a report of a victim who had been run over by a train car. According to WRNJ’s account of the department recognition, Whitmore assessed the victim and administered lifesaving bandages and oxygen until additional help arrived.

DiCairano and Cossio were each awarded a Lifesaving Award for their response to an unconscious victim on June 15, 2025. Police said the officers assessed the situation, applied an automated external defibrillator and performed CPR, helping save the victim’s life, according to WRNJ.

Exceptional Duty and Officer of the Year honors

The department also presented Exceptional Duty Awards to Detective Jeffrey Anderson, Detective Juan Ocampo, Officer Holly Whitmore and Chief Aaron Perkins for their response to an April 4, 2025 incident involving a man reportedly armed with a rifle near Hackettstown Medical Center.

WRNJ reported that police said the officers helped secure the scene and assisted in the suspect’s arrest under potentially dangerous circumstances.

Ocampo was also recognized with the Chief’s Award, described as the department’s Officer of the Year honor. Police cited his 2025 investigative work, training, on-call responsibilities and service while he was the department’s sole detective for several months, WRNJ reported.

Why the recognition matters

The Hackettstown awards highlight three different parts of public-safety work that can be easy to miss from the outside: emergency medical response, dangerous-scene coordination and sustained investigative service after the headlines fade.

For Support Law Enforcement readers, the lifesaving recognitions are another reminder that officers often move from routine patrol to CPR, AED use, oxygen, bleeding control or scene stabilization within seconds.

Sources reviewed

Editorial note: ThinBlueNews relied on WRNJ’s public local reporting and source photo. The article keeps medical and dangerous-incident details limited to the source account and uses no AI-generated rescue imagery.