Annual Santa Parade This Sunday, Bayonne Housing Authority Residents Awarded By NAHRO, 8 New Police Officers Plus One Honorary Officer/Firefighter Sworn In: City Of Bayonne

Annual Santa Parade This Sunday, Bayonne Housing Authority Residents Awarded By NAHRO, 8 New Police Officers Plus One Honorary Officer/Firefighter Sworn In: City Of Bayonne

Editor’s note: The following announcements were made this week by the City of Bayonne.  Meet Santa Claus this Sunday in their annual parade.  Bayonne Housing Authority residents received awards this week from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).   Staten Islander previously reported on promotion to captains, lieutenants, and sergeants by the Bayonne Police Department. We also reported on last year’s visit from Santa Claus at Casa Belvedere. 

Sunday, December 22, is Bayonne’s Annual Santa Parade, beginning at 1:00pm.  The parade will include two large floats, as well as a horse and carriage.  Mayor Jimmy Davis will lead the parade in a convertible.  The parade route is from 1st Street & Broadway to 55th Street & Broadway.   

Bayonne Housing Authority Tenant Recognition

At the December Board of Commissioners meeting, the Bayonne Housing Authority honored residents who won awards from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).

BHA resident Akayla Morrison was one of the 12 artists chosen to have a poster displayed in the 2025 “What Home Means to Me” calendar. Akayla’s artistry was chosen for the month of November.

“We could not be more proud of Akayla and her accomplishment. People from across the country will be able to see her talent on display every day they look at the calendar in the month of November 2025,” said BHA Chairman Vincent Lombardo.

The “What Home Means to Me” Poster Contest has recognized the amazing, poignant art of children who live in affordable housing across the country. Every year, hundreds of children participate in the contest.

BHA residents Salvatore Simone and Harriet Lee Weening are Award of Merit winners for their “Sing-A-Long with Sal and Lee” program. When a piano was donated to Back Bay Gardens, Sal, who plays the piano, and Lee, who is a singer, volunteered to lead the residents in singing some familiar songs, and it has become a weekly event. Their act of volunteerism and sense of community has resulted in this recognition from hundreds of programs across the country.

“Sal and Lee have shown the true Bayonne spirit by sharing their talents,” said Irene Pyke, BHA Vice Chair. “And to be nationally recognized with an Award Of Merit is a tribute to what they have created.”

NAHRO provides opportunities for its members to receive national recognition for their innovative housing and community development projects, programs, and services, including senior citizen social programs, that enhance the lives of residents and clients through awards, including Awards of Merit.

The yearly Awards of Merit are much more than a list of winning initiatives – it’s a compendium of some of the best work being done in affordable housing nationally.

Bayonne Holds Ceremony for Eight New Police Officers and An Honorary Officer

New Police Officers: Bayonne’s newest police officers posed with Mayor Jimmy Davis and their departmental leaders. Pictured left to right: Public Safety Director Robert Kubert, Mayor Davis, PO Shannon Dwyer, PO Jaiden Gonzalez, PO Nikolas Capurso, PO Cody Baran, PO Youssif Girgis, PO Joseph Hojnacki, PO Jonathan Hernandez, PO Vincent Mattiello Jr., Deputy Police Chief Joseph Scerbo, and Police Chief Robert Geisler. Image Credit – City of Bayonne

Recently, the Bayonne Police Department held a ceremony in the Council Chambers to swear in eight new police officers and an honorary officer. The new officers were appointed on July 11, 2024, and graduated from the police academy.

The new police officers are Shannon Dwyer, Jaiden Gonzalez, Nikolas Capurso, Cody Baran, Youssif Girgis, Joseph Hojnacki, Jonathan Hernandez, and Vincent Mattiello Jr.

Officer Shannon Dwyer is a graduate of Bayonne High School. As an undergraduate at Montclair State University, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jurisprudence, Law, and Society. She is continuing her education at Montclair State, where she is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Law and Governance.

Advertisement

Officer Jaiden Gonzalez is a graduate of Bayonne High School. Before becoming a police officer, he worked in the building trades with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Union Local 164.

Officer Nikolas Capurso is a graduate of Bayonne High School. He continued his education at New Jersey City University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science. Prior to joining the Bayonne Police Department, he worked in security for the Bayonne Board of Education.

Officer Cody Baran is a graduate of Bayonne High School. He began his law enforcement career with the Seaside Heights Police Department in 2022. Then he served as a Hudson County Sheriff’s Officer before becoming a Bayonne Police Officer.

Officer Youssif Girgis is a graduate of James J. Ferris High School. He earned an Associate’s degree in Engineering Science at Hudson County Community College. He is continuing his education at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he is studying Computer and Electrical Engineering.

Officer Joseph Hojnacki is a graduate of Bayonne High School. He is a third-generation police officer.

Officer Jonathan Hernandez is a graduate of Bayonne High School. He continued his education at Hudson County Community College, where he pursued a degree in Business. Before becoming a police officer, he was a locomotive engineer for New Jersey Transit.

Officer Vincent Matiello, Jr. is a graduate of County Prep High School.

City Clerk Madelene Medina administered the oath of office to the eight new officers.

In the second part of the program, Dawson Palmarini was made an honorary police officer and an honorary firefighter for the City of Bayonne.

On July 20, 2019, at the age of 17, Dawson Palmarini was in a serious motorcycle accident on Route 37 in Toms River, New Jersey. He hit a car and went about thirty feet into the air and flew the width of the side street. When first responders arrived on scene, they found Dawson unresponsive and performed life-saving measures on the roadway until he was airlifted to Jersey Shore Medical Center. He suffered three traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and spent a month in the hospital.

Upon his release from the hospital, Dawson faced a long road to recovery, but has made tremendous progress over the years. He has made it his goal to visit every police, fire, and EMS agency in the State of New Jersey, so that he can thank all of the emergency services personnel for the work that they do. He is trying now to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by seeing how many agencies make him an honorary police officer, firefighter, or EMT.

Police Lieutenant Steven Rhodes presented Honorary Officer Palmarini with an individualized badge and plaque. Fire Chief Keith Weaver also took part in the ceremony, and appointed Dawson Palmarini an Honorary Firefighter.

At the ceremony, the Bayonne Police Department Honor Guard led the entrance procession and the Pledge of Allegiance. Rev. John Fencik offered the invocation and the benediction. Public Safety Director Robert Kubert, Police Chief Robert Geisler, Mayor Jimmy Davis, and City Council Members At-Large Juan Perez offered congratulatory remarks to the new police officers.

Welcoming Honorary Police Officer and Honorary Firefighter Dawson Palmarini: The Bayonne Police Department named Dawson Palmarini an honorary police officer, and the Fire Department designated him an honorary firefighter. Since surviving serious injuries that resulted from an accident, he has thanked emergency services around the state. The Bayonne Police Department and the Bayonne Fire Department are the latest emergency services to make him an honorary member. Pictured left to right: Public Safety Director Robert Kubert, Mayor Jimmy Davis, Vincent Palmarini (Dawson’s father), Honorary Officer and Firefighter Dawson Palmarini, Deputy Police Chief Joseph Scerbo, Police Chief Robert Geisler, Police Lt. Steven Rhodes, and Fire Chief Keith Weaver. Image Credit – City of Bayonne

Banner Image: Santa Claus Parade banner. Image Credit – City of Bayonne

City of Bayonne

Bayonne is a community that retains many of the elements of a small town. One and two family homes, small apartment buildings, and small business predominate. There is a population of 62,000 people who take pride in their hometown and its history. Bayonne residents and their ancestors moved to the city from many parts of the world. During colonial times and the first century of the American Republic, the Dutch, British, and Africans were the first groups to arrive after the Native Americans. Subsequent waves of immigrants came from all over Europe, especially between the 1880s and the 1920s. In recent decades, sources of immigration have largely been represented from countries in Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeastern Asia. Each group has left its mark on the cultural, religious and political life of the community.