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Renegade Pigs North Jersey - News

A tribute to "Axe" - Renegade Pigs roll in to honor PAPD officer lost on 9/11

From the October 2016 issue of New Jersey Cops magazine

Story by John "Wizard" Salim
Photos by John Salim, Lisa Salim, Nicole Hickman

The tributes to the victims of the 9/11 tragedy and the first responders lost at the World Trade Center that day flowed with respect, honor and solemn celebration that the 15th anniversary certainly stirred. Amidst the reading of the names, the sounds of the pipes and drums, and the day long vigil emerged a roar, the omnipresent sound of the Renegade Pigs honoring one of their own.

Members of the Renegade Pigs Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club came from 11 states and Washington D.C., to commemorate member Paul "Axe" Laszczynski, one of the 37 Port Authority officers who died on 9/11. Club members travelled from as far away as Washington State and Illinois to support the North Jersey Chapter of the Renegade Pigs in honoring Laszczynski, a member of Port Authority Local 116.

On Saturday, September 10th, a group of 77 bikes pulled out of the La Quinta hotel on Route 3 in Clifton, where the club hubbed for the weekend. Assisted by New Jersey State Police, Port Authority PD, and Clifton PD, and units and motor officers from several other local departments, the Pigs travelled the NJ Turnpike to the PAPD's PATH Command in Jersey City, where Laszczynski had been assigned. He was one of thirteen officers stationed there who were lost in the attack.

After a meeting with officers assigned to the terminal, a brief ceremony at the Command's 9/11 memorial was held. From there, they rode to Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington where Laszczynski is buried, to hold a service of remembrance, assisted by Chaplain David Boone (Detective retired) and Captain Robert Kneer of Fair Lawn PD, along with honor guards from the PAPD and Bergen County Sheriff's Office, and the Port Authority PD Pipes & Drums.

Sunday, the numbers increased as the group of approximately 100 bikes escorted by units and motor officers from the Passaic County and Bergen County Sheriff's Offices left the hotel bound for the midtown New York City starting point of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's World Trade Center Memorial Ride. This was the fourth year of the WTC Ride, which follows the route taken by FDNY Rescue One from West 43rd St. down the west side of the city to the World Trade Center.

They were met in the city by additional club members who arrived with groups coming in from Albany and Long Island. In all, 120 bikes represented the Renegade Pigs among the more than 700 that participated. Honored guests included NYC PBA President Pat Lynch, NYC Uniformed Firefighter's Association President Steve Cassidy, FDNY Chaplain Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye, and actor Kevin James. After lunch and opening ceremonies, the riders departed for the World Trade Center, where they were able to tour the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

The scope of the weekend's events and the efficiency and professionalism of the officers who safely escorted members of this organization comprised of active and retired public safety officers was extremely impressive. The North Jersey Chapter expressed its gratitude to those agencies that unhesitatingly provided resources and expertise to make the weekend's events a possibility.

The photos below accompanied the article. (Click to view larger.)

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The North Jersey Chapter of the Renegade Pigs law enforcement motorcycle club held its annual ride from Clifton Police Headquarters to Laurel Grove Cemetery in Totowa to remember Officer John Charles Samra.

Samra was a member of the North Jersey Chapter, and the only officer in Clifton Police history to be lost in the line of duty. He was killed on November 21, 2003 when his police motorcycle was struck by a minivan that he was attempting to intercept after the driver fled from a motor vehicle stop. The driver was apprehended and subsequently convicted of vehicular homicide and numerous other charges, and is presently serving a life sentence.

At the gravesite club members, including retired Clifton officers who had worked with John, related personal memories and spoke of an experienced and capable rider who was more than happy to share his knowledge, who was dedicated to health and personal fitness, and who devoted much of his time to volunteering with special needs children in the community as well as the Special Olympics. A park in Clifton, the police department's renovated gym, and a 5K scholarship run have all been dedicated in his memory.

(Originally appeared in New Jersey Cops magazine, January 2013 issue, p.42 with no by-line, accompanied by photo above.)

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Members Of The Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club Deliver Gifts And Smiles

By Andrew Beam
abeam@troyrecord.com
http://www.troyrecord.com

North Jersey Chapter Member Joe "St. Nick" Sarnoski helped out with the Albany Chapter's annual holiday visit to the St. Margeret's Center.

ALBANY -- Caidon Miller was ready to head inside at St. Margaret's Center on Saturday but as the Renegade Pigs roared in on their motorcycles and Santa Claus came ringing his bells, his face was beaming with excitement.

For the 14th year in a row, the Albany chapter of Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club, comprised of current or retired police officers and firefighters, delivered necessities and presents to children and young adults at the center. They were given some help from the Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts chapters as well as members of the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Bicycle club among others.

Children received gifts from Joseph "St. Nick" Sanoski, of the North New Jersey chapter, as he dressed up as Santa Claus, even with Miller, 2, holding him by the hand and showing him to his friends at the center.

"Caidon would have nothing to do with Santa Clause last week," said Anne Schneider Costigan, spokesperson for the Center for Disability Services.

Schneider said many of the children have become familiar with those who participate in annual Christmas Holiday Run, as both Miller and 3-year-old Angelica Morrison were reaching out to them when they arrived. Costigan said the members are accepted as part of the St. Margaret family as many of the members have told her they've watched some of the children grow up and some of the children wait year-round for them to come back.

"It makes for a very friendly, comfortable and warm visit," Schneider said. "It's beautiful".

There are also several students from Columbia High School who come to hand out presents and interact with the children. This is because Joe "Poppy" deSeve, a former detective with the East Greenbush Police Department as well as a resource officer for the school is a member of the Renegade Pigs.

deSeve went on about how happy the event makes him, saying he walks away from the center with "a whole new spirit."

"This is the spirit of Christmas,"deSeve said. "This, in my opinion, is exactly what it's supposed to be."

deSeve said he came in earlier in the month to get a list of some of the needs and what toys some of the children would want. The toys are paid for by fundraisers the club holds as well as some of the dues members pay to be a part of the club. The students also hold a fundraiser during the year for money to purchase the items.

deSeve talked about the importance of having the students there as it allows them to make a difference in someone's life who might be a little less fortunate than they are. There is no way someone can't feel good if they are able to bring a smile to someone's face, deSeve said.

"Hopefully they feel good about what they did,"deSeve said. "And hopefully they appreciate their life a whole lot more."

After the tragic incident in Newtown, Conn., on Friday, there were still law enforcement members from the area who came to be a part of the event. deSeve was impressed by the fact they still drove up to Albany to be a part of it but said making the kids feel good is a good way to bring a smile to their own face after an with the event that claimed the lives of 20 elementary school children.

"We're here to make the other kids feel good,"deSeve said. "That's what it's all about."

Click To View Larger:

View orginial article and video at http://www.troyrecord.com

(The Troy Record Online, Published: Sunday, December 16, 2012, accompanied by photos above.)

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Report On The 2012 Axe Run

Mortorcycle club members gather in North Arlington to pay tribute to fellow member killed on 9/11
Tuesday September 11, 2012, 9:44 PM
BY JOHN A. GAVIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record

NORTH ARLINGTON — About 50 members of the Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club roared their Harleys into Holy Cross Cemetery on Tuesday to pay their annual tribute to a fallen Port Authority police officer and club member who died in the World Trade Center attacks.

The annual ritual is not only a display of brotherhood by active and retired police officers, but also a colorful way of keeping Paul Laszczynski’s memory alive.

"Paul was just not a big man, he was your friend, "John Salim, a retired Hackensack police captain, told his fellow bikers. "He would cut through anything to get to the root. Paul took no nonsense."

A hulking man about 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, Laszczynski’s remains were found by workers at Ground Zero five months after the towers fell. Laszczynski, who lived in Paramus and Wayne, and several other officers were trying to carry a woman to safety when he was killed. He was 49.

Bikers in the national organization, which hosts charitable events and promotes safe rules in biking, came from South Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut, dressed in blue jeans, work boots and black vests adorned with patches remembering fallen brothers.

Local members wore patches emblazoned with "Axe," Laszczynski's nickname, and "1786," his badge number.

The short ceremony also included an honor guard, bagpipers, readings by a chaplain and a bugler who played taps.

Les Goldstein, a retired Clifton police lieutenant, said he will always remember his last phone conversation with Laszczynski, when he told him about an accident report before being called to an emergency in Manhattan.

"I was probably one of the last persons who talked to him alive," said Goldstein, who founded the Renegade Pigs local chapter. "I still have the fax that he sent me."

Email: gavin@northjersey.com

Originally posted at:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/Mortorcycle_club_members_gather_in_North_Arlington_to_pay_tribute_to_fellow_member_killed_on_911.html

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TRENTON - The Renegade Pigs law enforcement motorcycle club presented checks to the two families of children who were involved in a tragic school bus crash in Chesterfield this past February. Eleven-year-old Isabelle Tezsla was killed in the crash. Her two triplet sisters Natalie and Sophie, as well as fellow student Jonathan Zdybel, were critically injured. The Tezsla triplets are the daughters of NJ State Police Sgt. Anthony Teszla.

In May, the Renegade Pigs North Jersey Chapter held its annual charity event with this year's stated purpose of raising funds to assist the Tezsla and Zdybel families. On June 29th, accompanied by representatives from the Central Jersey, Atlantic County and Meriden, Conn. chapters, they rode to the State House in Trenton. Along with checks totalling over $5000.00, they presented plaques to the families, as well as to the State Police State House Security Unit, where Sgt. Tezsla is assigned, in appreciation for their assistance in both the fund-raising effort and coordinating the club's visit to the State House.

The Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club is a national organization comprised of active and retired public safety officers. They are active in numerous charitable causes and fundraising efforts, particularly those benefitting public safety personnel and children.

(Originally appeared in New Jersey Cops magazine, August 2012 issue, p.48 with no by-line, accompanied by photo above.)