Signs Dedicating Waldwick Office Christopher Goodell Highway Unveiled

WALDWICK, N.J. -- "There is nothing we can do to undo the events that took Officer Christopher Goodell’s life, but we can make sure people remember him and the sacrifice he made for his community," state State Sen. Kevin O'Toole said following the official unveiling of signs naming a stretch of Route 17 for the fallen hero.

At Wednesday's unveiling.
Photo Credit: *COURTESY: NJ State Sen. Kevin O'Toole*

Jerry DeMarco

12/18/2015 1:00 p.m.

“It is a very fitting and touching tribute to a great officer,” Lt. Douglas Moore told Daily Voice.

Attending Wednesday's ceremonial sign unveiling in front of the municipal public safety building -- also named for Goodell -- were his parents, Patricia and Mark, his sister, Nicole, and his fiancee, Jillian Voss.

"This sign will forever sit on Route 17 honoring Christopher's sacrifice to his community," said O'Toole, who co-sponsored the legislation that renamed the highway stretch.

Goodell was working a radar detail in his unmarked cruiser, parked on the shoulder of southbound Route 17 when it was struck by an 18-wheeler driven by a Brooklyn trucker the morning of July 17, 2014.

The impact instantly killed him.

A grand jury in Hackensack a month ago refused to bring vehicular manslaughter charges against the driver, Ryon Cumberbatch. Motor vehicle summonses him with reckless driving and failing to maintain a proper lane were to be heard in Waldwick Municipal Court.

Goodell, 32, joined the U.S. Marine Corps after being graduated from Waldwick High School in 2000. He served with the Waldwick Police Department for five years and was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s New Jersey chapter for outstanding efforts in drunk driving enforcement.

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