Bill Text: NJ S2701 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates Paterson Plank Road bridge in the Town of Secaucus as "Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. Memorial Bridge."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-11-18 - Substituted by A3529 [S2701 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S2701-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator NICHOLAS J. SACCO
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Designates Paterson Plank Road bridge in the Town of Secaucus as "Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. Memorial Bridge."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act designating the Paterson Plank Road bridge in the Town of Secaucus as the "Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. Memorial Bridge."
Whereas, Joseph Francis Tagliareni, Jr. was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on March 18, 1965 and moved to Secaucus as a teenager in 1978; and
Whereas, After graduating from Secaucus High School where he played baseball and football, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and was stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina; and
Whereas, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. was a proud and successful entrepreneur as owner and operator of J. Taglia Trucking, Inc., a Secaucus-based trucking company; and
Whereas, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. was also a dedicated member of the Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department, Engine 2, Rescue No. 1; and
Whereas, On May 31, 1999, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. was the first firefighter at the firehouse when responding to an emergency concerning a car fire on the New Jersey Turnpike; and
Whereas, Driving a fire truck to the scene of the fire with three other firefighters, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. complained of chest pains and pulled the truck to the side of the road, where he collapsed from a massive heart attack; and
Whereas, His fellow firefighters immediately performed CPR while waiting for an ambulance to arrive, and the EMTs and emergency room doctors struggled to resuscitate him; and
Whereas, Although he was eventually stabilized, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. remained in a coma for 13 days before passing away on June 13, 1999; and
Whereas, The Town of Secaucus, his family, and his friends consider Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. a hero because he had the presence of mind to stop the fire truck before he lost consciousness, preventing the truck from plummeting off the Paterson Plank Road bridge into on-coming traffic on State Route 3; and
Whereas, For this heroic act, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. was awarded the William "Bo" Koenemund Award and honored in a ceremony by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in October 2000 in Emmitsburg, Maryland; and
Whereas, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. is remembered by his community as a kind, giving man, a cherished husband, brother, and son, and, most especially, a loving father; and
Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper that the State of New Jersey recognize and honor the life and service of Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. by designating the Paterson Plank Road bridge at milepost 5.31 in the Town of Secaucus as the "Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. Memorial Bridge"; now, therefore,
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Commissioner of Transportation shall designate the Paterson Plank Road bridge at milepost 5.31 in the Town of Secaucus as the "Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. Memorial Bridge," and erect appropriate signs bearing this name.
2. No State or other public funds shall be used for producing, purchasing, or erecting signs bearing the designation established pursuant to section 1 of this act. The Commissioner of Transportation is authorized to receive gifts, grants, or other financial assistance from private sources for the purpose of funding or reimbursing the Department of Transportation for the costs associated with producing, purchasing, and erecting signs bearing the designation established pursuant to section 1 of this act and entering into agreements related thereto, with such private sources, including but not limited to non-governmental non-profit, educational or charitable entities or institutions. No work shall proceed, and no funding shall be accepted by the Department of Transportation until an agreement has been reached with a responsible party for paying the costs associated with producing, purchasing, erecting, and maintaining the signs.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill designates the Paterson Plank Road bridge at milepost 5.31 in the Town of Secaucus as the "Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. Memorial Bridge." Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. was born in Jersey City on March 18, 1965 and moved to Secaucus in 1978, where he graduated from Secaucus High School. After graduation, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and was stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina. Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. was also a dedicated member of the Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department, Engine 2, Rescue No. 1. On May 31, 1999, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. suffered a massive heart attack when responding to an emergency concerning a car fire on the New Jersey Turnpike. Before Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. lost consciousness, he pulled the fire truck he was driving to the side of the road, where his fellow fire fighters performed CPR. Although emergency room doctors were able to stabilize him, Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. remained in a coma for 13 days before passing away on June 13, 1999.
The Town of Secaucus, his family, and his friends consider Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. a hero because he had the presence of mind to stop the fire truck before he lost consciousness, preventing the truck from plummeting off the Paterson Plank Road bridge into on-coming traffic on State Route 3. Joseph F. Tagliareni, Jr. is remembered by his community as a kind, giving man, a cherished husband, brother, and son, and, most especially, a loving father.
This bill provides that no State funds may be used for producing, purchasing, or erecting the signs bearing the new designation. The Department of Transportation is authorized to receive private funds for paying the costs associated with producing, purchasing, erecting, and maintaining the signs.
