By Carly Rothman
Star-Ledger
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Dozens of somber Jersey City police officers began gathering early today to honor one of their own, standing shoulder to shoulder with more than 300 civilians, law enforcement officers and firefighters from across the state.
They held not a vigil or a memorial service, but a blood drive at a Jersey City office building, recalling Detective Marc DiNardo’s generous nature -- and the hundreds of pints of blood used in the effort to save his and other officers’ lives after a shootout last week with an armed robbery suspect.
“There’s people here from every walk of life,” Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey said. “It shows that people stand behind us.”
DiNardo, whose 38th birthday would have been today, was the most seriously injured of five officers shot in two exchanges July 16 with Hassan Shakur, 32. Shakur and his girlfriend, Amanda Anderson, 22, who both were wanted by police, were killed in their Reed Street apartment in a shootout that followed gunfire outside.
Three officers, including one who worked for the Port Authority police, were treated and released from Jersey City Medical Center.
City officer Michael Camacho, 25, was shot in the neck and remains hospitalized, but his condition is improving, hospital spokesman Mark Rabson said this afternoon.
DiNardo’s wife and mother, both named Mary, were among the early donors, said Marie Forrestal, manager of donor recruitment and retention for New Jersey Blood Services, a division of the New York Blood Center, which coordinated the drive.
“She said she had to be here,” Forrestal said of DiNardo’s wife. “She wanted to donate for Marc. She said he believed in giving back to the community, that that was what he was about.”
In keeping with DiNardo’s commitment to serving those in need, his family also agreed to donate his organs -- a decision that inspired some of those who turned out today at Newport Tower.
“He was a great kid. I never saw a frown on his face,” said Tom DiMaio, a retired Jersey City police detective who knew DiNardo for more than a decade. “If he can give his organs, I can give blood.”
Today, Jersey City and Port Authority police were joined by donors from the Jersey City Fire Department, which helped plan the drive with the police department.
“Considering the brotherhood that exists between both agencies, it was a profound feeling of loss,” said Armando Roman, director of fire and emergency services for Jersey City. “If there was ever an example of true heroism displayed, it was by this police officer and the rest of the police officers who put their lives on the line.”
Other law enforcement agencies represented today included Paterson police and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, and a group of instructors from the state Department of Corrections’ training facility in Sea Girt.
“Any time that officers can help other officers ... there are no boundaries, there are no miles,” said Tom Soban, a Roselle traffic officer.
Forrestal said the event, planned in just 36 hours, was the second-largest single-day blood drive in the agency’s 35-year history. The only such event to collect more blood was hosted by Rutgers University in February, and it took two months to plan.
She noted blood drives are particularly needed in the summer, when many donors are on vacation and supplies can run short.
The need resonated with Danielle Blaak, 29, of Jersey City. As the girlfriend of a city police officer, and a nurse at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, she said she’s seen firsthand the need for blood donations.
“It’s not just about writing tickets. There are bullets flying some days,” she said. “All year long, we need to be thinking about people who need our help.”
Additional blood drives honoring DiNardo and the other officers include one sponsored Friday July 24, 2009 by Brookfield Properties from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Newport Tower, 525 Washington Blvd. in Jersey City. For more information, call (800) 933-2566 or visit nybloodcenter.org. Drive locations also are available on nj.com.
A wake for DiNardo will be held Thursday July 23, 2009 from 1 to 9 p.m. at the McLaughlin Funeral Home, 625 Pavonia Ave., Jersey City. A funeral Mass will be held on Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Aeden’s Church on Bergen Avenue in Jersey City. Donations in the detective’s name can be sent to a scholarship fund set up by the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association at P.O. Box 17395, Jersey City, N.J. 07307.
Copyright 2009 Star-Ledger