Three Glen Ridge police officers answered the call to help their fellow officer when he went into cardiac arrest while battling COVID-19.

“Rob Roberts is your ‘Norman Rockwell’ police officer that is woven into the fabric of Glen Ridge,” says Glen Ridge Police Chief Sheila Byron-Lagattuta. “Even to our officers here during his 20-year career, he is a mentor, he’s a teacher, he’s everyone’s best friend.”

Roberts went into cardiac arrest on April 21 while at home battling the virus. Three officers performed CPR to save his life, including Officer Chris Gorgan, Roberts’s partner for 15 years.

“During the moment it was, just, you know, ‘Let’s get Rob back to who Rob is,” Gorgan says.

Roberts was rushed to Mountainside Hospital and transferred to Lennox Hill Hospital in New York two days later. He remains on a ventilator in critical condition.

 

Roberts’s father says that doctors expect him to recover from COVID-19. But the loss of oxygen to his brain is still a cause for concern. And while he fights for his life, Roberts’s parents say that the support from the community has been tremendous. Every night at 7 p.m., the town parades past Roberts’s home – with people clapping and ringing bells to show their support.

There was even a message from New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz. Roberts is a big Mets fan. His first child is even named Shea.

“I just want to reach out and let you know that we’re thinking about you,” Matz said in the message. “We pray that you get well soon.”

Gorgan also hopes his partner recovers.

“If he can hear me, I just want to say that I miss him and we need him back. We need him back quick,” Gorgan says.

The officers who performed CPR on Roberts all tested negative for the virus.