Teaneck, NJ – Police Officer Helped Save Choking Victim Hours Before His Fatal Crash

Teaneck, NJ – Hours before he lost his life in a fatal accident, Teaneck Police Officer John Abraham was helping to save someone else’s.

He and several other officers responded to the Etc. Steakhouse on Palisade Avenue around 7 p.m. Sunday after an elderly man began choking on a piece of steak. As diners recited Jewish prayers aloud, Abraham and the officers worked on clearing the man’s airway and restoring his pulse until an ambulance arrived.

The emergency medical personnel were able to remove the meat from his throat, and he was transported to Holy Name Medical Center, where he eventually breathed on his own and regained a strong pulse.

Seven hours later, Abraham was killed after his patrol car hit a utility pole just before 2 a.m. Monday on Teaneck Road near the police station, leaving investigators unsure of how it happened — and those at the restaurant stunned that the man who helped stave off death for another had lost his own life.

“They did an amazing job,” said the steakhouse’s owner and chef, Seth Warshaw, of the responding officers. “They brought him back to life. That’s no small miracle.”

The fatal accident unit of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the crash. An autopsy will likely take place today, Police Chief Robert Wilson said. Investigators have not confirmed whether Abraham was wearing his seatbelt.

He was in the midst of an overtime shift after starting work at 3 p.m. and was scheduled to finish at 7 a.m. Wilson said Abraham was not answering a call at the time of the accident but may have been responding to something he observed.

Fellow officers said Abraham, 37, loved his job, and was always eager to help others. He gave up the title of detective and asked to be transferred back to patrol years ago in part because he preferred to respond to emergencies.

“He was one of these guys who was all about being a cop,” Wilson said. “He loved it. John always wanted to be in the middle of it.”

Abraham lived in Ringwood with his wife, Martha, and 5-year-old son, Jake.

“The man had a sixth sense for finding crime,” said Officer Gerry Rosano, who called Abraham his best friend. “He was one of the few people that truly loved being a cop. With all the hard things that are going on right now with the economy, John was one of those guys that would have done this job for free. He really wanted to make the world a better place.”

Rosano said Abraham was a devoted family man whose priority was the well-being of his son, who is autistic.

“Even though he put on a tough exterior, he was a family man,” Rosano said. “Having an autistic child is hard, but he had a lot of patience.”

A graduate of Teaneck High School, Abraham was born in India but grew up in town. His father, also John Abraham, served as councilman and mayor in the early 1990s before deciding not to seek reelection.

Abraham joined the force in 1994, Rosano said. The department said Abraham had received more than two dozen commendations over the years, including several lifesaving awards, and had worked on a number of high-profile cases.

“It’s a very sad day,” said Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, who went to high school with Abraham. “He was a very smart police officer. He did his job very well.”

In recent years, Abraham served as the vice president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association under Rosano, the current president.

“I had tremendous respect for his integrity and his commitment to his brothers,” said Deputy Mayor Adam Gussen, who also attended Teaneck High School with Abraham. “He was definitely a strong cop. He was exactly what Teaneck wants in its police officers. It’s a terrible tragedy for his family, for the department and for the township of Teaneck.”

Abraham’s mother, who still lives in Teaneck, declined to comment through the department, and his father now lives in Texas. No one answered the door at the Abraham family home in Ringwood.

Mourners, including police officers, stopped by his mother’s home to pay their respects throughout the day. Flags flew at half-mast throughout the town.

At the police station, officers hung purple-and-black bunting in honor of their fallen comrade, and a bouquet of flowers was left next to the utility pole where Abraham crashed.

Rosano said Abraham’s dedication to his fellow officer was on display last year, when the two officers responded to a domestic dispute in town. The man attacked both of them, striking Abraham with a cast-iron skillet and attempting to rip his gun from the holster.

“He fought the guy hand to hand, trying to protect me,” Rosano said.

The man was subdued and arrested.

Abraham, a heavyset man, sometimes joked about why so many in town knew him, Rosano said.

“He’d say, ‘A, I’m an Indian, and B, I’m probably the world’s only fat Indian cop,’” Rosano said.