MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Susan Kupferman awarded the agency’s highest awards, Medal of Honor and President’s Medal, to five Bridges and Tunnels Officers at an October 8 ceremony at the Robert Moses Building on Randall’s Island. The awards are presented to Bridge and Tunnel Officers (BTOs), Sergeants and Lieutenants for extraordinary valor in the line of duty.
“The men and women we honor today represent the best in achieving our mission of delivering safe and efficient transportation to the public,” said Kupferman, who also thanked the employees for their professional skill, knowledge and compassion that helped earn them these awards.
The medal-winning awards involved three separate incidents that occurred at the Throgs Neck Bridge, Henry Hudson Bridge and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
One of the incidents involved BTO Darren Fox of Belle Harbor, Sergeant Kenneth Winslow and Lieutenant Todd Suratt, both from Staten Island. While on patrol the afternoon of August 8, 2008, Fox spotted a driver exiting his vehicle on the upper level of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
Fox requested back up and made his way to the eastbound lane where the man was approaching the railing above the water. Careful to maintain a safety zone, Fox coaxed the man into conversation. Suratt and Winslow arrived just as the man placed one leg over the parapet wall, but the pair rushed forward and pulled him back to safety.
