Congressman Chris Smith will present a national award to Sergeant Andy O’Neill of the Spring Lake Heights Police Department on Friday evening, for his actions that saved the life of a father of two back in June.

“We need to respect and honor those who are the front line, not just on protecting our communities like Sergeant O’Neill, but also they’re on the front in providing that life-saving emergency care that really is the difference between life and death, and this here is a classic example,” Smith stated on Friday morning in an interview on NJ 101.5 FM.

Smith will present Sergeant O’Neill, a 28-year police veteran, with the ServiceWear Apparel Workwear MVP 2017 award on Friday evening at an event hosted by the Spring Lake Heights Police Officers Association.

Sergeant O’Neill was elected to receive the award because of his life-saving action taken on June 18, 2017, on Father’s Day. O’Neill was originally not scheduled to work that day, but he took the slot of a fellow officer who had a newborn son so that officer could be home with his family.

While responding to another emergency, O’Neill received a call that a father of two daughters had suffered cardiac arrest in front of his family. Leaving his partner behind to deal with the previous situation, O’Neill rushed to the scene and, together with other emergency medical responders, performed CPR, applied a defibrillator, and helped revive the father.

“My dad had recently died, and I wasn’t really going to let a guy die on Father’s Day in front of his kids,” O’Neill said on Friday.

O’Neill was one of 50 workers nationwide nominated for the award. He will receive $1,000, as well as $1,000 worth of apparel from ServiceWear. The man he helped rescue will also be present at the ceremony to thank him for his service.

“Because of Sgt. O’Neill, he is living today,” Smith said, praising O’Neill for being “selfless” and for his “unbelievable service to the community.” O’Neill appeared with Smith on NJ 101.5 FM with host Bill Spadea to preview the award ceremony. To listen to their interview, click here or on file below.

Police officers and first responders deserve respect and honor for putting their lives on the line daily, Smith said. He noted that, according to the most recent FBI statistics, 53,000 police officers were assaulted last year, and 118 died in the line of duty, up 37 percent from the previous year.

“They’re the first on the scene so often when there’s a medical emergency,” Smith said. “This is what our police officers do every single day.”