Rutherford and Lodi, NJ – February 28, 2019 – Felician University announced today it awarded its first annual Local Hero Award to Rutherford resident Tyler Hanson.

At a ceremony held at Felician University on Saturday, February 23, Tyler Hanson was honored for his bravery and selfless service to others. The Rutherford volunteer firefighter was on his way to work at PSE&G on New Year’s Eve, when he spotted a fire in a Union Avenue home in Passaic. He noticed an “unusual amount” of smoke while he was driving along River Drive, so he ran to the front door of the smoking residence and called 911.

“I started banging on the door, and it felt like forever before someone came to the door,” he said. Hanson assisted three people to safely escape the building and went into the basement to turn off the house’s electricity. He then joined the Passaic Fire Department in extinguishing the attic fire. No residents or firefighters were injured.

“It was just my training,” Hanson said. He has served as a volunteer Rutherford firefighter since 2015. Even if he weren’t a firefighter, he said he would have gone to help the people in the home. “I just have that drive to help others, and I’m glad I could do that today.”

Felician President Anne Prisco presented the award during half-time at the Felicia Men’s Basketball home game vs. Concordia. “Our Local Hero Awards are presented to community members who display outstanding service to others, from rushing into burning buildings to save lives to living a life of fighting for the disadvantaged,” Prisco said. “We are proud to honor Rutherford’s Tyler Hanson for his act of courage.”

Leo P. McGuire, former Bergen County Sheriff and MBA graduate of Felician University, spoke at the Award Ceremony. McGuire also serves on Felician’s Alumni Board, Board of Regents, and Business Advisory Board.

About Felician University

Felician University, with campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, NJ, is a Catholic Franciscan University, founded in 1942 and sponsored by the Felician Sisters. Felician offers Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral programs in the Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Nursing. Felician has been ranked as the #3 Private University in New Jersey for Return on Investment (ROI) by payscale.com and reported 100% of its 2017 graduates surveyed are either employed or in graduate school within 6 months of graduation.