7 Atlantic County Rescues Honored at Valor Awards

When Atlantic City firefighter Joseph Reitzler arrived at a century-old rooming house last July, flames were already shooting from multiple windows. He climbed a ladder four stories up the burning wood-frame building and pulled a trapped resident to safety.

Reitzler is one of seven first responders honored Wednesday at the Harold J. "Whitey" Swartz Valor Awards in Egg Harbor Township. The ceremony recognizes Atlantic County's bravest moments from the past year.

In Egg Harbor Township last October, police officers Gary Johnson and Chad Fraser kicked down a bedroom door to wake a confused 82-year-old woman. She had been sleeping peacefully, unaware that fire was spreading through her Black Horse Pike home. The officers carried her out just in time.

Volunteer firefighters Matthew Dempsey and Shane McNew ran into a smoke-filled mobile home in Pomona without even grabbing a hose line first. They found an unconscious man in the bathroom and dragged him to safety.

"Volunteer firefighters rarely get 'saves,'" Pomona Fire Chief Gary Dooner Jr. wrote after the July 2025 rescue. "You're fighting uphill: responding from home, from jobs, from family events. But when a volunteer crew makes that save, it's monumental."

Oceanville firefighters Nicholas Stewart and John Parker searched through heavy smoke and flames in a Smithville condo last December. They found a 60-year-old man unconscious on the second floor, carried him down the stairs, and watched as he was flown to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Why This Inspires

These seven rescues represent split-second decisions made by ordinary people who chose to run toward danger. Some were paid firefighters doing their jobs. Others were volunteers who left dinner tables and family gatherings when the call came.

Each rescue required courage, training, and teamwork. Each one brought someone home to their family.

The ceremony also honored seven firefighters who have served their communities for more than 50 years, proving that the spirit of service runs deep in Atlantic County.

Seven lives saved, seven heroes recognized, and countless families grateful for another day together.