Carrier does duty to save mail from burning truck
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

Vincent Lombardi takes his job as a mail carrier very seriously. According to Anthony Kemprow-ski Jr., supervisor of customer service at the Freehold Township post office, Lombardi recently displayed the spirit and determination of the United States Postal Service - to protect and deliver the mail - no matter what.

An incident on the morning of Aug. 15 saw the mail carrier protect his mail when the USPS vehicle he was driving was lost to a fire on Scenic Drive, off Strickland Road, in north Howell.

According to Kemprowski, the vehicle that Lombardi, 39, of Brick Township, was assigned to drive was running poorly and kept stalling. A replacement vehicle was dispatched to him. Lombardi proceeded to deliver the mail on his route by foot while awaiting the replacement arrival.

Within minutes, Lombardi observed smoke coming from the engine compartment and flames coming from underneath the motor. Kemprowski said Lombardi immediately called his supervisors to alert them to the problem. With the assistance of two bystanders, he attempted to put out the flames with fire extinguishers.

No one was able to provide the names of the bystanders who assisted Lombardi.

Kemprowski said that by the time he arrived at the scene, smoke was pouring from the mail truck and the fire was raging. The fire department had just arrived.

Kemprowski said he asked Lombardi if he was OK.

"He was noticeably shaken up," Kemprowski said, "but said he was fine. He seemed genuinely proud to inform me that he had 'saved the mail,' although he had lost his scanner and some personal property to the fire. Mr. Lombardi had the presence of mind and dedication to remove nearly 100 percent of the mail he was transporting, including all preferential mail and parcels from the truck as it became engulfed in flames."

According to Kemprowski, the engine compartment, the cab area and half the roof of the truck had melted away by the time the fire was finally extinguished. No one was injured in the incident. Lombardi was able to complete his assignment for the day.

Lombardi said that initially, the incident was "pretty scary."

"When you get up in the morning to go to work you don't expect to end up having your hands in fire," he said. "This was more of a success because of the help I had from two people who decided to help me get the mail out of the truck. If I had to do it alone it would have been much more difficult."

Lombardi said all of the mail was retrieved except for a coupon mailer, which he believed could be replaced.

Kemprowski is understandably proud of his employee and wanted others to know the extent of that pride.

"Vincent Lombardi is nearing the end of his second appointment as a casual carrier in Freehold (a casual carrier is a temporary 90-day appointment position) and as his supervisor, I have always found him to be a loyal and dependable employee," Kemprowski said. "His responsibility to the United States Postal Service and the respect he displays for his duties would make him an asset to any office. After witnessing the events of Aug. 15 and the remains of the vehicle, I find this postal employee's actions commendable and worthy of official recognition."

Postmaster Crayson Cheung said he is "very proud" of Lombardi.

"I saw the flames," Cheung said. "The truck was engulfed in them. He went above and beyond the call of duty and he saved the mail."