Hero cop recognized by Township Council Edison detective used CPR to revive girl who had no pulse or breath BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer Sometimes heroism is where luck and skill converge.On May 27, Edison Detective William Colletto had been patrolling, unassigned along Route 27, when a call came in: young girl, unconscious in a pool. He was only minutes away. "I was still on the phone when I heard the sirens," said Stacy Ward, who had been the 911 caller. "I thought, that can't be for us." Colletto arrived at the scene to find 3-year-old Alayah Taha with neither pulse nor breath; she was turning blue. The 16-year veteran of the Edison police force immediately began giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the young girl - something, he said, that had become instinct; his training kicked in when he needed it. "You become focused," Colletto said, "you just know what to do." By the time other emergency personnel arrived, Alayah had a pulse and shallow breathing. She had been underwater for nearly three minutes, her mother, Dina Taha, said. William Colletto's luck and skill had converged. Colletto was honored by the Edison Township Council at its meeting Aug. 8, when he was presented with a Resolution of Recognition from the council. "Saving someone's life is the highest honor you can bestow on another human being," said Councilman Rob Karabinchak during the award ceremony. "You're a hero to the family ... you're a hero to the community, and you should be recognized for that." Councilman Salvatore Pizzi said he has known the Colletto family for years, and vouched for the quality of William Colletto's character. "It doesn't surprise me that a service like this was performed by a Colletto," Pizzi said. A tearful, choked-up Colletto thanked the council and the public for their recognition. Alayah played at his feet. "I've seen all kinds of tragedy," Colletto said. "This was an incident that really affected me. I'm happy to have this little girl here today." Dina Taha remembers that day as a day when three major religions saved her daughter. Dina Taha, a Christian, and her husband, a Muslim, were praying for their daughter, who was not out of the woods when they arrived at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Their friends, who were also praying for the little girl, are Jewish. Alayah eventually pulled through and made a full recovery, and her mother said there was no sign of brain damage. Dina Taha said that throughout those frightening first hours, she had to remain focused. "I needed to see what was going on," Dina Taha said, "like I was doing something. I felt helpless. It was the first time I felt that way with my child." Dina Taha is working with the Edison Council to craft legislation that would require people with pools to have motion sensors around the pool for heightened security. It is something she feels could prevent the same thing, or worse, from happening to another family. "We have them for our cars, why not have them for our pools?" Taha said. "If that's the only thing I can ask for, then that's what I'm asking for." Colletto said that the entire ordeal went beyond just doing his job, it was personal. When asked why, he replied, "I have a daughter who's 5 and son who's 8. That's why it hit home."