Officer Tom Saccenti Awarded The Medal Of Valor

Medal of Valor that changed officer Saccenti's life forever

Tom Saccenti was awarded the Medal of Valor at his local church Mansfield First Assembly of God.

Labor Day weekend 1999 rookie police officer Tom Saccenti never expected that he would be involved in an incident that would change the course of a friend’s life forever.

While driving home from a church bonfire, Officer Saccenti saw a lone volunteer fire tuck sitting on a bridge one street over. Out of curiosity and a sense of duty, Officer Saccenti drove over to see if he could assist the volunteer. It was at this time that he learned a convertible vehicle, coming home from the same party, had swerved off the roadway and landed upside down in the creek below. The volunteer informed Officer Saccenti that help was on its way, however, the Fire Department was composed entirely of volunteers.

Officer Saccenti then approached the car to talk to the driver, he found that the driver was awake and talking, however, he was trapped in the car strapped in by his seatbelt and blocked from getting out by the steering wheel. As they talked the car began to sink lower into the creek and the water began to cover the drivers head. In order to avoid the driver from drowning, Officer Saccenti crawled under the car and held the drivers head, in freezing cold water, until the fire department could secure the vehicle with airbags, pump it up high enough to get in themselves and cut the driver out.

Officer Saccenti then left the scene and returned home, never telling anyone that he was a police officer or who he was. It was only by chance that a Fire Fighter that was on scene saw the driver in the vehicle and asked if he knew who the person was that climbed under the car to save him was. Once the fire fighter discovered the identity of Officer Saccenti he contacted the police department and told the chief of Saccenti’s heroic actions.

Officer Saccenti was then awarded the Medal of Valor for his quick and courageous actions that saved a life. Officer Saccenti states, “It wasn’t hard to decide what to do, I am sure that anyone would do the same for me, it isn’t about being a police officer, it is about being a human, a citizen, and a friend”. When asked about the hour plus that Saccenti spent under the care he said: “It didn’t seem that long, we spent a lot of time just praying and singing some hymns, I don’t have the best voice in the world, but that is what Bobbie wanted to do and I think it helped to calm him down”. Saccenti was awarded the Medal of Valor at his local church Mansfield First Assembly of God.