By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Mickey Cullinane had an infectious smile and a penchant for telling jokes, but he was also a serious police officer who didn’t hesitate risking his life to save others.
On Aug. 26, 1992, he was overcome by lethal gases while rescuing a construction worker from a nearly 30-foot-deep pit being dug on Landis Avenue at 26th Street in Sea Isle City as part of a sewage pumping station.
Cullinane had saved another worker who had fallen into the same construction pit the day before, then returned on Aug. 26 for another rescue attempt that claimed his life.
On Friday, family members, former and current police officers, city officials, clergy and others gathered at the same spot at 26th and Landis to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the accident that killed Ptl. Michael P. “Mickey” Cullinane Sr.
In a poignant moment, Mayor Leonard Desiderio presented Cullinane’s widow, Stacy Spiegel, with a street sign that bears the name of the late officer at the intersection of 26th and Landis. Spiegel and Cullinane had been married for only one year and eight months when he died.
“I always have a void in my heart, but I’ve learned to live with it because that’s what he would have wanted. I try to make him proud,” Spiegel said of how she has coped with Cullinane’s death for the past 30 years.
Among her treasured keepsakes, Spiegel, who is now 53 and lives in Seaville, has held onto Cullinane’s uniform and other articles of clothing from his police career.
A photo collage showing Spiegel, Cullinane and other family members during happy times was displayed at the memorial service. A series of smaller photos surrounded a large portrait of a smiling Cullinane.
“He had an infectious smile and a tremendous personality,” Rob Spiegel, Stacy’s brother, recalled of his late brother-in-law in remarks during the memorial service.
Rob Spiegel, who lives in Sea Isle, told the audience that he considered Cullinane more of a brother than a brother-in-law. Cullinane’s death “tore a hole in the heart” of the family, he noted.
“It’s been a difficult 30 years for everyone. But we come here every year to honor a true hero,” Rob Spiegel said.
Living in California at the time, Maura Fernandez, Cullinane’s sister, thought that when her phone rang on Aug. 26, 1992, it was her family on the East Coast calling to wish her a happy birthday.
Instead, the call brought the horrifying news that her brother had been killed on the same day as her birthday.
“It’s hard to believe we got that call,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez, who now lives in Egg Harbor Township, said that she will always fondly remember the time Cullinane spent with her in California just two weeks before his death.
“We miss his smile. We miss him tremendously,” she said.
Among the members of Cullinane’s family who were devastated by his death was his son, Michael Jr., who was just 5 years old in 1992. Michael Jr., who now lives in Bloomfield N.J., did not attend the ceremony, but his grandfather, Eddie Rumer, said Michael has been moving on with his life, including his recent engagement.
“I just want to let you know that he’s doing fine,” Rumer said of Michael Jr. during the memorial.
To this day, Cullinane remains the only Sea Isle police officer to have died in the line of duty. Safety officials who investigated the accident that killed Cullinane concluded that hydrogen sulfide and methane gas, produced by decaying vegetation buried under the sand, was released during construction of the sewage pumping project.
In addition to killing Cullinane, the gas injured two other police officers and sent a total of 38 people, including five workers and some Sea Isle residents, to a nearby hospital, according to a story published Aug. 27, 1992, in The New York Times.
Mayor Desiderio said Cullinane’s death underscored the dangers that police officers face every day while on duty.
“We all know that it is not easy being a police officer,” Desiderio said.
Desiderio noted that Cullinane was only 30 years old when he died. He vowed that the city will continue to honor Cullinane’s memory every year in Sea Isle “because that’s what we do here.”
In addition to the street sign bearing Cullinane’s name at the intersection of 26th and Landis, there are other honors and remembrances of the late officer in Sea Isle. The lobby of Sea Isle’s police headquarters in City Hall is named in his memory.
Capt. Anthony Garreffi, officer in charge of the police department, pointed out that each year Sea Isle selects an outstanding officer as the Michael “Mickey” Cullinane Officer of the Year. Garreffi was a previous winner of that honor.
During the ceremony, Garreffi said Cullinane’s heroism and memory “will never be forgotten” by the police department and by the community. He stressed that the annual memorial service will certainly continue as long as he is in charge of the department.
The ceremony also included the reading of scripture by Deacon Joseph Murphy of St. Joseph Catholic Church and Pastor Melissa Doyle-Waid of the United Methodist Church in Sea Isle.
Murphy, a retired Philadelphia police detective, blessed the site with holy water while remembering Cullinane in prayer.
“Always knowing the danger, he gave his life for others,” Murphy said. “Mickey Cullinane is a true hero.”
Pastor Doyle-Waid, spoke of the “terrible ordeal” endured by Cullinane’s family while delivering her prayers.
Once little more than a dumping ground, the former construction site where Cullinane died has since been transformed into a landscaped memorial honoring Cullinane and other fallen police officers across the country. Sea Isle’s police officers donated money to buy new trees and flowers to spruce up the memorial recently.
The memorial was created in 2015 by Boy Scout Ben Jargowsky for his Eagle Scout project. Ben Jargowsky is the son of Mike Jargowsky, a retired Sea Isle police captain who now serves as the city’s emergency management coordinator.
Mike Jargowsky said the memorial has been greatly supported by the community and reflects the love Sea Isle continues to feel for Cullinane.
“Every week that goes by, someone is paying tribute to Mickey,” Jargowsky said.
