Laszczynski, Paul
policeman
(Feb. 6, 1952 - Sept. 11, 2001)
One of the policemen who perished in the inferno of the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, Paul Laszczynski was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of John and Helen Laszczynski, both of whom died young. His father was a plumber and moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, where he found more work and raised three children. Paul graduated from Lincoln High School and Jersey City State College and played tight end on their football teams. He was 6 foot five and weighed 240 pounds when he tried in vain to play in the National Football League with one of the New York teams.
Still in his twenties, he married Karen Walker, an office worker, and they lived together in Rutherford and other places. They had two girls, Amy and Jennifer, when he was 27 and 29 years of age. During his marriage he changed careers, first with the Conrail Transit Police and then the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In his work, he rescued school children trapped in an elevator, scaled the George Washington Bridge to change the minds of would-be jumpers, and pulled people from burning buildings. In addition, he served as flag bearer for the Port Authority's honor guard. In the middle 1990s, he met Charlene Talarico, who was sunning herself in a Hoboken parking lot, and his divorce from Karen Laszczynski soon followed. In his final years Charlene rode on his motorcycle on a weekend jaunts to New England. Paul belonged to a motorcycle club that raised money for children's charities.
After he was last heard from in the upper part of the World Trade Center helping someone down the flight of stairs, his daughters disconnected his cell phone and claimed everything that he owned - his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, car, TV, jewelry, clothes, pictures, medals, citations, and homes in Paramus and Manahawkin. Charlene Talarico, however, wanted to hear his soothing voice, and turned his cell phone over to her name. Then, when she was in the mood, which was often, she dialed the number of her late boyfriend and listened to his voice-mail greeting. Sometimes she played it four times in a row.From: Edward Pinkowski (2008)