NYPD Officer Grant Pulgarin was honored Thursday for tackling a suspected terrorist during an ISIS-inspired attack outside Gracie Mansion.
The ceremony, held at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach, Queens, drew roughly 150 attendees for the Police Benevolent Association’s annual Finest of the Finest Awards. Pulgarin received a plaque for his actions on March 17, when he intercepted a man who had just thrown a lit explosive device into a crowd policing a demonstration outside the Manhattan mayor’s residence.
PBA Treasurer Joe Strong described the encounter to the assembled officers and guests. “This officer was policing a demonstration outside Gracie Mansion when he spotted a man who had just thrown a fuse-lit bomb,” Strong said. “He ran toward the danger and stopped the terrorist with a perfectly executed tackle, one that any NFL coach would be proud of.”
Pulgarin, 29, then held the suspect down as he was handcuffed while his accomplice was arrested, according to Strong. The officer could not comment on the case because it remains part of an active investigation.
PBA President Patrick Hendry used the podium to push back against public criticism of police work. “We know there are people out there who think they can do our job better, who want to tell us how to do our jobs,” Hendry said.
“But none of them ever had to face an individual who pulled out a gun, pointed at them, and started firing,” Hendry continued. “None of them ever ran towards a burning car and rescued the person inside. None of them ever gave chest compressions to a baby who wasn’t breathing. All of you have done those things.”
The March 17 incident in Manhattan’s 19th Precinct involved a home-grown terrorist allegedly inspired by ISIS, according to the PBA’s characterization. The improvised explosive device was already fuse-lit when Pulgarin intervened.
Officer Joseph Wetzel, also 29, received the PBA President’s Award for a rescue that occurred while he was off-duty and on long-term medical leave undergoing radiation treatments for cancer. On February 4 in Wantagh, Long Island, Wetzel pulled two people from a flipped, flaming vehicle after having breakfast with his father.
“I had breakfast with my father and as we were walking to the car, I heard a loud crash in the major intersection across the street and I turned and saw that there was a car flipped over,” Wetzel said. He immediately ran across the street and noticed that the vehicle’s engine was in flames. A witness told him there were two people trapped inside the vehicle, he said.
“I always carry a knife that has an emergency tool that can break windows and cut seat belts and what not,” Wetzel said. “So I moved everyone away from the front window and I started smacking the window with the instrument and finally was able to break it and I cleared the glass with my bare hands.”
At the same time, witnesses were throwing ice at the fire and calling 911, he said. Someone else retrieved a fire extinguisher from a nearby gas station and put the flames out while he got the vehicle’s driver out.
“I crawled into the car and I assessed the welfare of the second person that was trapped and determined it would be safer to wait for the fire department,” Wetzel said, noting that responders used the Jaws of Life. Both people inside the car were taken to the hospital and survived.
“Hurry up,” Wetzel said when asked what he was thinking at the time of the incident. “At that moment, it’s all or nothing. Just get in there, break the window, clear the glass, get the people out.”
Other honorees included Officers Seoungjae Chung, Donglun Liu, Antonio Andreani and Lt. Michael Simmonds of Brooklyn’s 62nd Precinct, who shot and killed a meat cleaver-wielding attacker after he stabbed four children in an 84th Street home on April 6. The officers broke down the door to save the children, ages 8 to 16, who all survived their stab wounds.
“Upon arrival, these officers hearing screams from inside the apartment had to kick in the door to gain access,” PBA Recording Secretary George Winkler told the crowd. “Once inside, the perp charged the officers, who were forced to shoot and wound the suspect to put an end to the carnage.”
The NYPD Harbor Unit’s officers Christopher Kessinger, Steven Westgate and Sgt. Jose Figueroa were recognized for rescuing sailors from a Mexican Navy vessel that struck the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in May 2025, an incident that left two crew members dead.
“If it weren’t for the expert efforts of these police officers, the toll would have been much higher,” Strong said. “These officers under very difficult and dangerous conditions, evacuated 19 victims, carrying them to safety and getting them the medical attention they needed.”