This Long Beach sergeant was honored for her heroic save

A Long Beach police sergeant ran into a burning home on Feb. 19. Inside, a resident was caught in the inferno. The officer, Sgt. Judy Arroyo, saved the man’s life.

Arroyo was honored at the City Council meeting on Dec. 5, presented with a framed copy of an FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin article detailing her actions during the fire. A story in the publication is a distinct honor, because it is reserved for accounts of situations that transcend the normal rigors of law enforcement.

Arroyo was recognized by Police Commissioner Ron Walsh, who is also acting city manager, and council members John Bendo, Roy Lester, Karen McInnis, Tina Posterli and Liz Treston.

“Tonight kind of marks a new milestone, and at least a first with the City of Long Beach,” Walsh said of Arroyo’s heroism and the Bulletin’s story.

Arroyo was on patrol at about 2:15 a.m. on Feb. 19 when she was waved down by a resident who said that the house at 38 W. Penn St. was on fire. The neighbor ran into the house to try and help, and Arroyo quickly followed.

Walsh said that Arroyo never hesitated to race into the home to save its owner, Stephen Pryke, and the neighbor before the house became completely engulfed.

Pryke came to the front door, saw Arroyo and ran back inside, saying that he thought someone else was upstairs. He ended up in a back room, where he was trapped by the fire. Arroyo and some of the other officers she was with ran in after him, and brought him outside again. Arroyo then ran back in to see if there was in fact anyone else upstairs.

“She was then yelling up the stairs and going to see if anybody’s there,” Walsh said. “If anybody’s ever seen the movie ‘Backdraft,’ I guess you might equate it to that. She gets engulfed in flames and it burns her face and burns her hands, but she manages to get out.”

Arroyo suffered second-degree burns on one hand, her forehead and one ear. She was treated at a nearby hospital afterward and was able to recover fully. As it turned out, the home’s upstairs tenants were not home when the fire broke out.

“This officer went through a lot to get her back to being a representative — one of the finest representatives — that we have in this Police Department, and I would say in law enforcement in this country, and get over the fears and the trauma,” Walsh said. “We’re going to hang this up in the precinct downstairs.”

According to the Long Beach Fire Department, five hose lines were used inside and outside the house to bring the fire under control within 40 minutes. The Oceanside, Point Lookout-Lido, Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Inwood, Rockville Centre, Freeport, Baldwin and East Rockaway departments assisted, along with Atlantic Beach Rescue.

“Long Beach has a new hero,” Walsh previously said of Arroyo. “She put her own safety and well-being to the side and ran in selflessly to save the lives of people in a fire and a very, very dangerous situation. She’s a hero.”

Arroyo, who is still dealing with the trauma of that night, declined to comment.

“The Long Beach Police Department is proud of the incredible bravery Sergeant Arroyo displayed on the night of the house fire and throughout her recovery,” the department said in a statement on her behalf. “She embodies all that it means to protect and serve, and Long Beach is lucky to have her on the force.”