New Milford Remembers Officer Killed in Line of Duty
26-year old patrolman Ray Woods is among those remembered at the Bergen County Chiefs Association Blue Mass honoring police officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.
The Bergen County Police Chiefs Association will be holding its second annual Law Enforcement Blue Mass honoring those officers who have died in the line of duty at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Ridgewood Wednesday. This service will be followed by a memorial service at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute in Mahwah. New Milford lost patrolman Ray Woods in a 1972 house fire on Rhein Court that also took the life of resident Marie Cordey and critically injured firefighter Joe Costello. Police Chief Frank Papapietro, former Fire Chief Alan Silverman and Firefighter George Saigh, all young firemen the night of the fire, shared their memories with Patch. **** Despite the span of years, and the different roles each man …
Sean Collins
11:10 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
As an 8 year old, I still remember the massive funeral procession for Ray Woods and the grief of the community. It was a sad time. I can also recall the many times in the following years that Lou Costello provided fire safety lectures to us kids and he wasn't shy about showing us what happened to his hands. He was an amazing character. I can still picture him steering fire trucks around the … more ›