NYPD officer reunites with former detectives who saved her life nearly 30 years ago
NEW YORK -- Two NYPD officers pulled a mom and her two babies out of a burning car nearly 30 years ago.
One of those children grew up to become a police officer, and Friday, she reunited with the hero cops who saved her life.
"It's emotional, you know. I finally get to meet them. They saved our life one time," Officer Denise Gomez said.
Gomez finally met her real life superheroes -- former NYPD detectives Eric Ocasio and Charles Claudio.
"To find out 10 years after I retired that this young lady wanted to carry on because of what my partner and I did that day... It's very fulfilling," Ocasio said, getting choked up.
Tears hit the podium at 1 Police Plaza as the heroic story was retold by the heroes themselves.
"We observed the vehicle, some fluid leaking from underneath, directly underneath the vehicle," Ocasio said.
It was a hot summer day in Harlem in 1996. Gomez was just 2 years old when she, her 1-year old brother and mother were trapped in their car as it started to go up in flames.
"I basically ran towards her. I couldn't get the door open. She was hysterical. Broke the car window with a radio, and Charlie was able to save the two children," Ocasio said.
A newspaper clip with the officers' photos was Gomez's only memory.
"The article was very emotional. It was motivational," she said.
It would be what shaped her life.
"I never thought this would ever come true, and I'm just glad that she joined our family," Claudio said.
In 2022, Gomez joined the NYPD.
"It's one of the assignments we have at the Academy, why you want to become a cop, and I actually wrote it down," she said.
Friday, the shield number 15417 was passed on to her -- the very same shield number Ocasio wore when he was an officer.
"It means a lot. It means it's my time to take over," Gomez said.
A shared legacy of public service.
"On the surface, this is a story about great police work, but more than that, it's about the split second it takes to change a person's life forever," New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban said.
Gomez calls them her guardian angels.
"All heroes don't have capes, so I got the shield now," she said.
Now, her life is their legacy and their work is her work.
"You always got someone to talk to," Claudio told Gomez.
Gomez's brother, who was also rescued from the burning car, is now in the military, and their mother also joined the NYPD after the incident as an auxiliary officer.
