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NYPD Recruit Receives Badge From Detective Who Pulled Him From Burning Car

The badge‑pinning at the department’s June graduation showed how a 2021 off‑duty rescue inspired a young man to switch from pre‑med studies to a life of police service.

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Christian Leon, 24, graduated from the police academy Wednesday less than five years after Det. James Fares jumped into action as his car began smoking on the Grand Central Parkway the evening of Nov. 18, 2021. 
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Overview

  • Officer Christian Leon was formally welcomed into the NYPD at the Gun & Shield graduation on Wednesday when Detective James Fares surprised him and pinned his badge.
  • Leon says Fares pulled him from a smoking car on the Grand Central Parkway on Nov. 18, 2021, an act he credits with saving his life and changing his career plans.
  • Detective Fares, a multi‑year member of the Queens Auto Crime Unit, encountered the crash while driving home from duty and removed Leon before the vehicle caught fire.
  • Leon had been studying pre‑med at the time of the crash but later applied to the police academy and described training as a path out of a dark period in his life.
  • Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch highlighted the reunion during the ceremony as an example of mentorship and service and placed Leon’s story alongside other recruits with family law‑enforcement legacies.