It only took a few minutes to realize something significant was happening Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, and it remains one of the most harrowing days in Hudson County history.
At this newspaper’s office, nearly five years ago, after receiving an alert, we all tuned into an iPhone app to listen in on the Jersey City Police Department’s frequency. There was yelling and screaming. The echoes of gunfire were so loud they were clear as anything else we heard.
Moments after we started listening, we learned several members of the Kearny Police Department, who are also members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s SWAT team, were among scores of law-enforcement sent to there to try to end a wild scene of utter carnage.
When it was all over, two victims had a connection to our readership area — Det. Joseph Seals, of the Jersey City Police Department was a resident of North Arlington, and he was the tragedy’s first victim, having been shot in the head at Bay View Cemetery.
Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, of Harrison, was a father and husband who was a clerk at Jersey City Kosher Deli.
The loss of life was difficult to fathom. Both were married. Both were fathers. Both were incredibly special human beings who had an impact on this world.
This day also served as yet another reminder of the dangers police officers face on a daily basis. We were reminded several officers who patrol our streets were in the middle of a gun battle that, 10 years after, has been hard to forget. They left their homes and headed right into harm’s way.
Fortunately, everyone from Kearny came home unharmed, safely, on a day when two of our neighbors didn’t. Likely, neither had a thought they wouldn’t make it home that night — or ever again.
But for two families, that is precisely a reality. There are two homes, one in North Arlington and one in Harrison, that remain forever changed. There could be no greater loss for a family.
We recall the heroic life of Det. Seals, a dedicated police officer and detective who gave 13+ years of his life to ensuring Jersey City’s streets had fewer guns on them — he succeeded at that.
We recall the life that was Mr. Rodriguez’s, a man who dedicated himself to his beautiful wife and daughter and who worked diligently, seven miles from home, at a deli, so things could be better for his family.
They are both heroes and their names — Joseph Seals and Douglas Miguel Rodriguez — must never, ever be forgotten. Their sacrifices may very well have saved the lives of countless others. May they both continue to rest in eternal peace, in the arms of God, knowing they both made this world a much better — and safer — place.
This editorial was first published in 2020 and has been updated. It has been published every year since as a commemoration of the lives lost.
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.