Crime & Safety
Heart Attack Victim Thanks Fast-Acting Responders
Nicola Giancaspro suffered from a heart attack while officiating a lacrosse game in Westvale Park last month. A group of residents and emergency responders successfully saved his life.
A referee, who during a lacrosse game in May 1, thanked the parents, police and EMTs who saved his life Tuesday.
When Nicola Giancaspro, 57, of Mahwah, said he was not feeling well and collapsed on the sidelines of the field at Westvale Park May 1, area residents Eamonn Twomey, Michele Beltram, Karen Decristina, Sarah Hurane, Lisa Kauffmann, Sandra Marini and off-duty Oradell Police Officer Marc Fedorchak, who was coaching a softball game on the neighboring field, sprang into action and began performing CPR and called 911.
When Westwood Police Sgt. Robert Held and Police Officers Pater Cassells and Dean McCarroll arrived at the scene, they took over the CPR and shocked Giancaspro four times with a defibrillator before he became alert. Members of the River Vale Ambulance Corps brought Giancaspro to the hospital for further treatment after the incident.
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"I received that gift of life and I can't express how grateful I am to everybody for helping me," Giancaspro said.
Local officials also thanked the residents and emergency responders "for providing extraordinary service" with proclamations during the Westwood Council meeting Tuesday.
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"Normally, when you have to hit someone four times with a defibrillator, they're not coming back," Mayor John Birkner said. "On the fourth time around, Mr. Giancaspro responded, stabilized, and his life was saved because of the actions of these people."
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