WHEREAS, Detective DiNardo, a loving husband and the devoted father of three young children, joined the Jersey City Police Department on March 17, 1999, following in the footsteps of his father, a retired Jersey City Police Lieutenant, and was assigned first to the East Precinct in the Patrol Division, and, two years ago, to the Emergency Services Squad, an elite unit trained to respond to crisis and emergency situations; and

WHEREAS, Detective DiNardo was the recipient of seven Excellent Police Service awards, two Commendations, and a World Trade Center award, and most recently on June 29, 2009, distinguished himself when he and members of his unit acted to rescue a distraught woman who jumped from the Wittpenn Bridge into the Hacksensack River, saving her life; and

WHEREAS, Detective DiNardo was known as a “cop’s cop,” and for his honesty and decency, his personality, and his love of Jersey City as well as his profession; and

WHEREAS, in the early morning hours of July 16, 2009, in the City of Jersey City, Police Detective DiNardo, at the age of thirty-seven, made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life while attempting to apprehend armed and dangerous felons who had shot two fellow police officers on the street earlier that morning; and

WHEREAS, Detective DiNardo’s selfless devotion to public service and the protection of others makes him a hero and a true role model for all New Jerseyans and, therefore, it is appropriate and fitting for the State where he was raised and where he served so proudly as a peace officer to recognize his remarkable commitment to the welfare and safety of others, to mark his untimely passing, to remember his family as they mourn their tragic loss, and to honor his memory;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JON S. CORZINE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies and instrumentalities during the appropriate hours on Friday, July 24, 2009 in recognition of the life and in mourning of the passing of Police Detective Marc Anthony DiNardo.

2. This Order shall take effect immediately.

GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 22nd day of July
Two Thousand and Nine, and of the Independence of
the United States, the Two Hundred and Thirty-Fourth.

/s/ Jon S. Corzine

Governor

[seal]

 

/s/ William J. Castner, Jr.