Bravery awards go to Yardley police chief

It was a night of honors for Yardley Borough Police Chief Joseph D. Kelly III.
He was presented with three awards at the Oct. 19 borough council meeting, all commending him for his courage and bravery during an Aug. 18 shooting incident at Yardley Commons Condominiums in the borough.
Kelly was wounded in a hand and ear from a shotgun blast allegedly fired by Colin Frank Petroziello, 24. The chief was assisting a Bucks County probation and parole officer with an offender check on Petroziello, who lived at the Commons. Kelly managed to call for assistance after being wounded.
One of the awards he received at the meeting came from the Police Chiefs Association of Bucks County, another from Kelly’s fellow officers in the YPD, and the third from the chief’s family.

The plaque from the Yardley department is called the Police Valor Award and it was accompanied by a bar that was pinned to Kelly’s uniform. It lauded the chief for his “extraordinary act of courage without regard for personal safety.”
The plaque from the police chiefs association was presented to Kelly at the meeting by association President and New Hope Borough Police Chief Mike Cummings, and Middletown Township Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla.
Kelly thanked everyone for the awards and again praised members of his own and nearby departments –and Bucks County law enforcement officers – for their response to the incident and subsequent showings of support.
Petroziello is facing attempted murder and related charges. He remains in Bucks County Prison after being denied bail, and his trial is tentatively scheduled to start on Jan. 7, said Manuel Gamiz, a spokesman for the county district attorney’s office.

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