WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG BROOKLYN NEWS 15
HEROES O F T H E MONTH
Last August, Borough President Adams named
his first “Heroes of the Month,” individuals that stand
out in their borough for their outstanding courage,
tenacity, and assistance to their community. The
roster of heroes includes Brooklynites from all
walks of life, ranging from our police officers
and firefighters to teachers and small business
owners. Their stories all reflect a message of the
extraordinary acts that ordinary people are capable
of every day in Brooklyn.
“From time to time, we need to be reminded of
the good news and the good people who make our
borough such a wonderful place,” said Borough
President Adams. “The ‘Hero of the Month’ award
goes to the Brooklynites who have made tremendous
accomplishments towards the progress of our
borough.”
Anyone interested in nominating a future hero
can e-mail askeric@brooklynbp.nyc.gov. The list of
Brooklyn’s latest Heroes of the Month includes:
July 2015:
Battered 2 Beautiful volunteer Iver
Whittingham and retired NYPD Detective
Richard Lyman
Whittingham was assisting at an event for
Battered 2 Beautiful on May 14th when he walked
into a McDonald’s in Fort Greene to eat. After seeing
two teenage girls fighting, he jumped in to break it
up. According to video footage that later went viral,
several young people jumped on Whittingham and
attacked him after he tried to break up the fight;
he was punched, kicked, and thrown against the
restaurant counter before the group dispersed.
When he tried to intervene a second time, he was
jumped again by the teens and chased out of the
restaurant.
Detective Lyman retired in 2013 from the NYPD
following a distinguished career dating back to 1994.
Back in 2003, he was put on the case of the murder
of Lamethia McCollum – a pregnant mom shot in
the head in the bedroom of her Flatlands apartment
who was discovered by her 8-year-old daughter,
Victoria. On June 24th, Jefferson Jones, the father
of McCollum’s unborn child, was finally sentenced
for her murder; although Jones was the prime
suspect from the beginning, there was not enough
evidence for trial. In 2012, after Jones was busted
for a Queens home invasion, a gun found on him was
identified to Detective Lyman as the same firearm
used in McCollum’s murder. Detective Lyman then
drove upstate to the Ogdensburg penitentiary to
interview Jones in order to help connect the suspect
to the crime.
August 2015:
FDNY Lieutenant
Victor Milukas
Lieutenant Milukas of Ladder Company 159 in
Flatlands was among those who responded on
August 24th to calls of a house on fire on Avenue
P in Marine Park, where neighbors reported that a
child was trapped inside. In zero visibility, he headed
to the second floor, searched multiple smoke-filled
bedrooms, and ultimately found unconscious twoyear
old Justin Pierre; Lieutenant Milukas quickly
removed the young boy and brought him to firefighters
and EMTs, who transported him to the hospital. This
is the second rescue of his career; he had previously
rescued an adult from a fire in Queens.
September 2015:
Volunteer Organization
Yad Ephraim
The volunteer members of Borough Park-based
Yad Ephraim work to ease the pain and suffering of
patients in hospitals throughout Brooklyn, with members
that donate their time on a 24-7 basis to ease
the burden of the sick and the suffering. In addition
to free hot food programs, volunteers visit patients
in hospital rooms every day, offering a listening ear,
a warm meal, or sometimes simply their presence
to help pass the time more pleasantly. This September,
in time for the Jewish High Holiday season, Yad
Ephraim distributed over three thousand free hot
meals to patients and their families.
October 2015:
Good Samaritan Michael Matusiak
(Posthumous)
Matusiak, a mechanic from Greenpoint, stood up
to several thugs attempting to smash into
parked vehicles in East Williamsburg on October
6th. He was fatally shot in the process,
leaving behind a fiancée and two daughters.
Neighbors described Matusiak as a helpful
member of the community, assisting the elderly
with carrying shopping bags and fixing
their cars.
November 2015:
Good Samaritan
Delroy Simmonds
Simmonds was on his way to a job interview
on October 27th, applying for a maintenance
position with a warehouse, when
a strong gust of wind blew a 9-month-old
boy onto the tracks at the Van Siclen Avenue
station for the J line in Cypress Hills. As the
train approached the station, Simmonds
jumped down onto the tracks and hoisted
the bleeding infant – still strapped into his
stroller – to the safety of the platform. The
father of two has shrugged off the heroic
deed as something anyone would do.
Borough President Adams
recognized retired NYPD
Detective Richard Lyman (left),
who helped solve a 12-yearold
murder case in Flatlands,
and Iver Whittingham (right),
a Good Samaritan who tried to
stop a fight between teenage
girls at a McDonald’s in Fort
Greene, as “Heroes of the
Month” for July 2015 during a
ceremony in Brooklyn Borough
Hall.
Borough President Adams
recognized Borough Park-based
Yad Ephraim, a not-for-profit
organization which distributed
over three thousand free hot
meals during the High Holiday
season to needy patients across
Brooklyn, as “Heroes of the
Month” for September 2015
during a ceremony in Brooklyn
Borough Hall.
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