An NYPD detective that cracked a six-month old murder case, and two firefighters who performed a rare rooftop rescue were named Brooklyn’s latest “Heroes Of The Month” last week at Borough Hall.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro and NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill honored NYPD Lieutenant Detective John Russo and FDNY Firefighters Todd Brenner and Andrew Scharf for their heroic efferts.

“There’s a clear crime-fighting and public safety theme in this batch of heroes,” said Adams, a former police officer. “Ensuring public safety requires an all-in commitment from community, police, and firefighters alike, and these three Brooklynites exemplify what it means to go above and beyond in this ongoing pursuit.”
Russo, who grew up in Williamsburg as the son of a retired police officer in the 90thPrecinct, was assigned to the murder case of 30-year-old Karina Vetrano, who on Aug. 2, 2016 left her home in Howard Beach to go jogging through Spring Creek Park. While she was jogging, a man intercepted her, raped and strangled her, and left her body in the weeds.
As detectives looked for clues in the case of her brutal killing, they found it difficult to piece together with little evidence left at the crime scene. After months of searching for the killer with scant hope in sight, Russo, a Howard Beach resident himself, followed up on a memory he had of seeing a man being apprehended for suspicious activity in the neighborhood.
That suspicion led to further investigations and finally a name came up; that person was identified and his DNA samples matched the samples left on Vetrano’s fingernails. Police followed up and, in the first week of February, arrested the man, who is now being charged with second-degree murder.
“Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare — especially a child so young, and so full of life and potential for her future,” said Adams. “Karina was Cathy and Phil Vetrano’s pride and joy. I know they are very grateful for Lieutenant Detective Russo’s bravery in speaking out and working hard to find Karina’s killer — and so am I.”
Brenner and Scharf of Ladder Company 176 in Bedford-Stuyvesant successfully performed a rare roof-rope rescue to save a man from a burning church in Ocean Hill.
All honorees— many with their families, friends, and colleagues — were present for the ceremony at Brooklyn Borough Hall.