In the summer of 2009, the city of Jersey City was shaken by the loss of one of its own. Marc Anthony Dinardo, a 37-year-old male detective with the Jersey City Police Department, succumbed to injuries sustained in the line of duty on Tuesday, July 21, 2009. His death came five days after a violent confrontation with two armed suspects. A ten-year veteran of the force, Dinardo was a member of the elite Emergency Service Unit.
The tragic events began to unfold in the early morning hours
of Thursday, July 16, 2009. Officers were conducting a stakeout of a vehicle believed to be connected to a recent violent robbery where a person had been shot. Around 5:15 a.m., a male and a female suspect, both clad in bathrobes, approached the car. When confronted by law enforcement, the male suspect produced a shotgun from under his robe and opened fire on the officers, injuring one and shattering the windshield of their unmarked vehicle.
The two suspects then fled and barricaded themselves inside a third-floor apartment on Reed Street. A perimeter was established, and the building was evacuated over the next hour and a half. Members of the Emergency Service Unit, including Detective Dinardo, were tasked with apprehending the armed and dangerous individuals. As the team attempted to breach the apartment door with a battering ram, they were met with immediate gunfire from within. In the ensuing exchange, Detective Dinardo was struck in the face by a shotgun blast. Four other officers also sustained injuries during the intense shootout.
Both the male and female suspects were shot and killed during the gun battle inside the apartment. It was later discovered that the male suspect was a violent career criminal who had recently been released from prison. In a somber twist of fate, it was revealed that Detective Dinardo had been the arresting officer in a previous case that sent the male suspect to prison for weapons possession charges. Detective Dinardo was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he fought for his life for five days before ultimately succumbing to his wounds. In the wake of his death, his family chose to donate his organs, a final act of service from a man who had dedicated his life to protecting others.
