Police departments in towns across New Jersey which are home to large Jewish communities are accustomed to dealing with Jewish customs and practices, so when an Israeli pilot crashed his helicopter last week in South Brunswick, the police department’s handling of the body, in accordance with Halacha, came as a welcome surprise to many of those unfamiliar with the South Brunswick Police Department.

In an exclusive conversation with TLS, South Brunswick Deputy Police Chief Jim Ryan noted that rescue crews had retrieved the body from the chopper within 10 minutes of arriving at the crash site, which was located in a canal, inside a forest.

A police officer and firefighter waded into the water, which was about 4-5 feet deep, and saw the pilot’s shoulder. The two first responders managed to lift the heavily-damaged helicopter, and pull out the body.

“I arrived at the scene approximately 15 minutes after the initial call, and as I was making my way down the path, one of the police officers handed me the pilot’s I.D. card, and I see that it is an Israeli I.D. card,” Ryan said.

Meanwhile, because the helicopter crashed on the borders of South Brunswick, Princeton and Franklin, it took authorities a few minutes to figure out whose jurisdiction the crash occurred in, so a command post can be set up. It was quickly determined to be in South Brunswick – by about 100 feet.

“We immediately placed a sheet over the body and assigned somebody to stand guard for as long as it would take,” Ryan continued, noting that when it comes to tragedies, families can at least be reassured that their loved ones were “never left alone.”

“Almost immediately, my boss, South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka told me to call Rabbi Mendy Carlebach, a local Chabad Rabbi who serves as our department’s Chaplain and with whom we have decades-long relationship, and I was on the phone with him within 20 minutes of the crash.”

Rabbi Carlebach, who also serves as the Chaplain for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, arrived at the scene minutes later and contacted Misaskim, so they could ensure the proper Kavod HaMes.

“Everyone involved was very respectful,” Rabbi Carlebach said.

“The South Brunswick Police Department, the Medical Examiner’s office, everyone involved was extremely helpful,” Rabbi Carlebach added, noting that the local authorities are very familiar with the relevant Halachic issue because of their experience in dealing with funerals at the Floral Park (Deans) Cemetery, which is located in South Brunswick.

In addition to conducting their sacred work at the site of the accident, Misaskim was able to provide a benefit to local authorities as well, supplying them with generator-powered lights, which allowed the first responders to work through the night in a safe manner.

“We were trying to figure out how to light up the area, and not just the crash site, but the quarter-mile path through the forest as well, when the Misaskim rep. turned to me, and asked ‘”you need lights?”‘ and I am like yeah, we need lights!”

“We were so thankful for the extra lights and manpower, but more than that, its demonstrative of how important the relationship between our department and Rabbi Carlebach is, and how that led to all the other contacts, including Misaskim, the Israeli Consulate, the Israeli police, and others,” Deputy Chief Ryan explained.

Ryan also stressed how important it is for law enforcement agencies to make connections before tragedy strikes, so relationship can be in place for when such incidents do occur.

“Rabbi Carlebach is at all of our department’s ceremonies,” Ryan noted. “So if you are an officer of six months or 30 years, you know the Rabbi. He is part of our community.

“When he arrives on the scene, every officer knows exactly who he is,” Ryan concluded.