Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro are celebrated for their quick action in stopping a dangerous device from detonating. The officers recount their experience, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and their commitment to saving lives.
Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro are being hailed as heroes after the pair was caught on camera racing toward— something Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch herself admitted could have led to the deaths of the surrounding crowd, had the device gone off.
Speaking at One Police Plaza on Wednesday, the pair told amNewYork that it was only in the hours and days following the dramatic arrest of Balat and his cohort, Ibrahim Kayumi, that the serious and potentially deadly impact set in.“I’ve heard questions like, ‘Did you know how serious it was?’ And I can tell you at the time, no, but it’s the moments after,” Edwards said. “It might have been about maybe two hours after Sergeant Navarro and I were talking, and it really hits you, that this is, this is a lot more serious than we had even initially thought. And, you know, all those thoughts go through your head but we’re cops, there’s still work to be done.Photo by Dean Moses A photograph of Edwards soaring over a metal barricade as he pursued Balat has gone viral online, with thousands hailing his heroism. However, not everyone saw it this way.“I got into a little trouble at first. When the first picture comes out, and Sergeant Navarro andmyself are a little too close to comfort, my wife did send me a text message,” Edwards recalled. “It said: Wrong way, sir.” Both Edwards and Navarro are fathers of two young children, making the decision to run all the more nerve-racking. Still, the pair says there was not much time to consider the potential ramifications of their actions on their own family, so they had to act. “I didn’t have time to process anything. I saw the device hit the floor, and I just ran. I knew that I needed to save lives, so I ran towards the people to make sure that nobody got hurt,” Navarro said. “Definitely the most extreme situation that I’ve ever encountered in my 11 years that I’ve been on the department.” Despite the seriousness of the situation, Edwards was still willing to laugh at himself, admitting if that metal barricade was before him at that moment in One Police Plaza, he would not be able to recreate the jump.According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, after Ibrahim Kayumi had been tackled by quick-thinking cops, as he was being placed in the back of a police vehicle he was asked why he attempted to kill those involved in the protest he responded with one word: “ISIS.”“After his arrest, en route to the NYPD precinct, Balat made spontaneous statements without being questioned by NYPD officers that were captured on body-worn camera footage,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.Dean Moses is the Police Bureau Chief at amNewYork and resident photographer. He leads coverage of the NYPD, crime, criminal justice, and breaking news.Mother of Queens man shot by police during mental health crisis tearfully begs Queens DA to drop charges: ‘Our lives are changed forever’FIRST 100 DAYS: Mayor hosts FIFA President for World Cup talks; attends ‘rental ripoff hearing’ Hochul doesn’t rule out another gas tax ‘holiday,’ but would prefer feds provide relief for soaring fuel pricesMother of Queens man shot by police during mental health crisis tearfully begs Queens DA to drop charges: ‘Our lives are changed forever’St. John’s, Providence Set for Heated Big East Tournament Rubber Matchterrorists who threw bombs at protestersMother of Queens man shot by police during mental health crisis tearfully begs Queens DA to drop charges: ‘Our lives are changed forever’
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