Manasquan First Responders Honored for Heroism During Blizzard

Members of the and the Manasquan Office of Emergency Management were honored on Monday evening for search and rescue efforts mounted during a massive snowstorm that hit the area in December.

Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas Arnone, Captain Don Barlow of the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management, Director of the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management Glenn Mason and Deputy Director Gary Mctighe were all on hand to present commendations to the 12 Manasquan residents who undertook the emergency operations in the aftermath of the Dec. 26 blizzard.

Arnone, who serves as the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders liaison to the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management and is the OEM director in his hometown of Neptune City, thanked the Manasquan volunteers for their dutiful service.

"I feel it's my duty to honor them," Arnone said. "We're very proud."

In late December, nearly 39 inches of snow was dumped on Monmouth County as a massive blizzard swept across the state. The fast-moving storm left many motorists stranded on area highways and paralyzed much of the state for several days.

During the storm, Manasquan was called upon by the state and county to participate in a coordinated rescue effort to help stranded motorists on routes 18, 34, 138 and 195.

Manasquan owns two military surplus vehicles that were used in the operation. The vehicles are high-sitting, six-wheeled Army trucks that were originally purchased by the borough in the event of a hurricane or major tidal flooding event.

The trucks were used to navigate the snow-covered roads where other vehicles may have failed. 

More than 20 stranded motorists were pulled from vehicles during the rescue.

"These guys did an unbelievable job," Barlow said while making a presentation on behalf of New Jersey State Police Colonel Rick Fuentes.

(Editor's Note: Monmouth Shore Patch covered the rescue operation during the blizzard. Click here to read the story.)