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Freeholders to Honor Countywide Heroes of Pipe Bomb/Terror Suspect Incident

unst0001Invited honorees include men who found pipe bomb, bar owner who reported suspect, Linden Police officers who made apprehension and various law enforcement agencies

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders will honor a number of individuals and agencies this Thursday at its regular Freeholder Meeting in Elizabeth in connection with their heroic efforts in finding and defusing pipe bombs and the arrest of a suspect believed to have been involved with the incident.

The presentation begins around 7 p.m. at the Freeholder Chambers on the 6th floor of the Union County Administration Building at 10 Elizabethtown Plaza.

Those who will be honored include the two men—Lee Parker and Ivan White–who found the suspicious backpack in Elizabeth containing the pipe bombs and then reported it to Elizabeth police; Harinder Bains, the Linden bar/deli owner who reported the suspect wanted in connection with the pipe bombs; and the two Linden Police officers, Angel Padilla and Peter Hammer, who apprehended the suspect in connection with the incident.

Other agencies who will be honored include the Union County Bomb Squad, which safely handled the pipe bombs, the Union County Police who responded to the scene where the pipe bombs were discovered and also to the scene of the apprehension in Linden, the Union County Sheriff’s K-9 Squad, which was responded to the scene of the pipe bombs and was used throughout the area and incident; the Linden Police department as a whole unit for their role in the apprehension; the Elizabeth Police and Fire Departments as a whole which responded to the pipe bomb incident and notified all other agencies.

“As you can see, there was no shortage of civic and law enforcement heroes who stepped up and responded to ensure the safety of our County as a whole,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce Bergen. “We look forward to honoring them all.”

Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados noted: “This incident was a model example of bravery, teamwork and cooperation among agencies and the public which resulted in a quick apprehension. We salute all those whose quick and selfless actions contributed to the positive result for our community.”

The public and media are invited to attend the meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. Address: Freeholder Meeting room, 6th floor, Union County Administration Building, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth, NJ 07207. Parking is available in the J. Christian Bollwage Parking deck at the corner of Elizabethtown Plaza and E. Jersey Street.

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