Making Spirits Bright: New Brunswick Police Hand Out 1,000 Toys Across City

A girl in pigtails laughed out loud on Livingston Avenue.

A boy in a Cowboys jersey jumped about on Jersey Avenue.

A brother and sister with matching Christmas sweaters held their eager hands out on Handy Street.

Hundreds of city children could hardly contain their excitement when the New Brunswick Police Department - with Santa Claus in tow - pulled up in front of their homes on Sunday morning, Dec. 24, with truckbeds piled high with toys.

Batman coloring books, 300-piece jigsaw puzzles, containers of sidewalk chalk, Barbie dolls, Matchbox cars, tubs of Play-Doh, Nerf footballs, Star Wars action figures, oversized stuffed animals, and other toys were handed to happy children and their appreciative parents.

No one, however, had bigger smiles Sunday than the 12 or so members of the police department who volunteered their time to haul the toys to about 10 locations around the city. 

Whether it was at the Hope Manor Apartments or Paul Robeson Village, the cops climbed inside the truckbeds and handed out toys to children who crowded around from each direction.

All awhile, a Christmas bell continued ringing thanks to Santa (Shhhhhh … it was really Det. Bill Coleman under that big gray beard).

Making spirits bright for children across the city on the day before Christmas has become a tradition for the police, and this year was the biggest yet. They passed out more than 1,000 toys, and boy, was it a welcome break for the men and women who face the daily harsh realities inherent to law enforcement.

“I look forward to this as part of my Christmas Eve as much as spending time with my family,” said Deputy Chief Vincent Sabo. “It’s just a great thing. The kids love it. They love it when we come around. We put the lights on and have the cars loaded with toys.

“It gives you the opportunity to be a Santa instead of seeing the bad and the good. This is all good. It’s all positive.”

With each successive stop, the stress of their line of work seemed to melt away like a carrot-nosed snowman on a sun-splashed afternoon. 

Capt. Michael Bobadilla handed a preschooler a My Little Pony playset at the first stop at Roosevelt School, where 250 or so kids were waiting for Santa and the NBPD.

After spotting a family on the side of the road, Lt. James Hoover made an unscheduled stop on Jersey Avenue and handed out a couple of arm-fulls of toys.

Other members of the NBPD called to kids who stood in doorways or peered out open windows to come receive a new, unwrapped toy – most of which were donated by Toys for Tots.

At Hampton Gardens Apartments, the final stop of the day, the members of the New Brunswick Police Department gathered for a group photo.

"This past week, we had so many community events," Bobadilla said. "The children really love the New Brunswick police officers. Events like today continue to help bridge the gap. This event helps some of us just as much or more than the children."

Or, as Hoover put it, “It’s a nice step back to enjoy something positive."

Some of the members of the police department made a special stop at a home where a mother of six children had recently died.

Later, as the caravan of toy-loaded trucks came to a momentary stop on Oliver Avenue, a gentleman leaving a service at Antioch Christian Church called to Hoover.

“Thank God for you guys,” he said.

Story & Photo By: Chuck O'Donnell