A 23-year-old police officer from New Jersey suddenly died this week during a routine workout, according to his family.
Patrolman Samuel Irvin, who had just become a police officer two weeks earlier, suffered a catastrophic cardiac arrest on Sunday, said his mother, Deb Irvin.
Irvin, of Columbus, graduated the from Gloucester County Police Academy earlier this month and began working for the Mansfield Township Police Department on July 10.
“He was the most amazing son, brother and a devoted fiancé,” his mom said.
Irvin and his fiancée, Kenzie Santucci, had a Golden Retriever named Bailey and were expecting a baby.
His fiancée’s sister, Mikaela Santucci, has started a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to raise funds for the fallen officer’s unborn child.
“Sam brought so much joy into everyone’s lives. He would go out of his way to make you smile,” Santucci wrote in a description on the GoFundMe page. “He loved to joke around and his laugh was infectious.”
His mother said his colleagues at the police department and classmates at the academy spoke highly of his work ethic.
“We have been told that there was nothing he couldn’t do,” she said. “He ran over 300 miles in the police academy and never faltered.”
The Mansfield Township Police Department, where Irvin worked for just two weeks, posted a written eulogy on social media earlier this week, speaking of him as a more than just a colleague.
“Sam was not only a colleague, he was a brother and a friend,” the post read. “It is difficult to write this because we are all at a loss for words. We are trying our hardest to honor him in the best way we can, but nothing we do will amount to the Man, Expectant Father, Fiancé, Brother, Son, and Friend that Samuel Irvin was.”
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.