Trooper Jaime Ablett, Officer Daniel Krause and Officer Laura Winkel

New Jersey State Police and Absecon (NJ) Police Department

Washington, DC—The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has announced the selection of Trooper Jaime Ablett, of the New Jersey State Police, and Officer Daniel Krause and Officer Laura Winkel, of the Absecon (NJ) Police Department, as its Officers of the Month for August 2013.
At approximately 5:10 pm on Friday, April 5, 2013, Trooper Jaime Ablett was on his way home after completing a shift at the New Jersey State Police Marine Services station in Atlantic City. Heading westbound on Route 30, Trooper Ablett came upon a crash involving an overturned vehicle in a retention pond. All he could see were the rear wheels of the car sticking out of the water. As he exited his vehicle, he heard someone screaming for help. He called dispatch for assistance and ran to assist.
Officers Daniel Krause and Laura Winkel, from the Absecon (NJ) Police Department, received the call for assistance from dispatch and immediately rushed to the scene.
Mr. Luis Roselli—a good samaritan who was nearby when the crash occurred—was already assisting the first victim, the driver who had made it out of the vehicle on his own. Together, Trooper Ablett, Officers Krause and Winkel, and Mr. Roselli entered the cold water and worked quickly to extricate two more unconscious victims from the vehicle and bring them to shore. The last victim, a pregnant female, was unable to unbuckle her seat belt. The rescuers worked frantically to keep her head above water. Finally, the rescuers used a sharp knife to cut the young woman’s seat belt to get her out of the vehicle.
All three of the victims were transported to a local hospital where they were treated for undisclosed injures. There is little doubt that the three people trapped inside the submerged vehicle survived due to the quick actions of Trooper Ablett, Officers Krause and Winkel, Mr. Roselli, and other good samaritans.
Trooper Ablett, a nine year law enforcement veteran, said that all New Jersey troopers are trained to perform similar rescues and that any trooper would have acted in the same manner. He also expressed thanks to Mr. Roselli for being a good samaritan.
For their actions, Officers Daniel Krause and Laura Winkel were awarded the Absecon Police Department’s Exceptional Duty Awards.
Located in the nation’s capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers. The Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Award Program began in 1996 and recognizes federal, state and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty.
Trooper Ablett, Officer Daniel Krause, and Officer Laura Winkel, along with the other Officer of the Month Award winners for 2013, will be honored at a special awards luncheon in Washington, DC, in May 2014, during National Police Week. In addition, their stories of heroism and service will be featured in the Memorial Fund’s annual calendar.

The Police Unity Tour is the official sponsor of the Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Program.