They are widely regarded as some of the finest apples.
Dozens of NYPD officers received awards and standing ovations from fellow members of the Finest this week during a Police Benevolent Association ceremony in Queens.
Speaking Thursday at the Finest of the Finest Awards at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach, PBA President Patrick Hendry said officers routinely face criticism from people who believe they know how police work should be done.
But, Hendry added, those critics have not confronted an armed attacker, rushed into a burning vehicle to save someone, or performed chest compressions on a baby who had stopped breathing. The officers being honored, he said, had done all of those things.
Among the officers recognized for extraordinary bravery was Officer Grant Pulgarin, who tackled a suspected homegrown terrorist moments after the man threw an improvised explosive device into a crowd during an ISIS-inspired attack outside Gracie Mansion in Manhattan’s 19th Precinct on March 17.
PBA Treasurer Joe Strong said Pulgarin was policing a demonstration when he saw the suspect throw a bomb with a lit fuse. The officer immediately moved toward the threat and brought the man down with a tackle Strong likened to one worthy of an NFL coach.
Because the case remains under investigation, Pulgarin was unable to discuss the incident. Strong said the officer restrained the suspect until he could be handcuffed, while another suspect was also taken into custody. Pulgarin received a plaque during the ceremony.
The PBA also honored Officers Seoungjae Chung, Donglun Liu and Antonio Andreani, along with Lt. Michael Simmonds of Brooklyn’s 62nd Precinct. The officers shot and killed a man armed with a meat cleaver after he stabbed four children inside an 84th Street home on April 6, 2025.
According to the PBA, the officers forced their way through the door to reach the children, who ranged in age from 8 to 16. All four survived their injuries.
PBA Recording Secretary George Winkler told the roughly 150 people at the event that officers heard screams coming from the apartment and kicked in the door. Once inside, the attacker charged at them, leaving the officers no choice but to open fire and end the assault.
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Honors also went to NYPD Harbor Unit officers Christopher Kessinger and Steven Westgate, as well as Sgt. Jose Figueroa, for helping rescue sailors after a Mexican Navy vessel struck the Brooklyn Bridge in May 2025. Two crew members died in the collision.
Strong said the Harbor Unit’s quick and highly skilled response prevented an even greater loss of life. Working in dangerous and challenging conditions, the officers evacuated 19 people, carried them to safety and helped ensure they received medical care.
Officer Joseph Wetzel was recognized for rescuing two people from a fiery crash in Wantagh, Long Island, on Feb. 4. He acted while off duty and on extended medical leave during radiation treatments for cancer, he told The Post.
Wetzel, 29, received the PBA President’s Award. He recalled having breakfast with his father when a loud crash drew his attention to a major intersection nearby, where he saw a vehicle overturned.
He ran toward the wreck and saw flames coming from the engine. A bystander told him two people were trapped inside.
Wetzel said he carries a knife equipped with emergency tools for breaking windows and cutting seat belts. After moving people away from the front window, he used the tool to smash through the glass, then removed the shards with his bare hands.
As witnesses called 911 and threw ice toward the flames, another person obtained a fire extinguisher from a nearby gas station and helped put out the fire. Wetzel then pulled the driver from the vehicle.
He climbed inside to check on the second trapped occupant and decided it was safer to wait for firefighters, who later used the Jaws of Life to complete the rescue.
Both people in the vehicle were taken to the hospital and survived, Wetzel said.
Looking back, Wetzel said his only thought was to move quickly: break the window, clear away the glass and get the victims out. In that moment, he said, there was no time for anything less than total commitment.
