NEWBURGH – An entire block of blue, police officers shoulder to shoulder, gathered Thursday to say goodbye to D.J Romano.
Romano was a Town of Newburgh police officer who died Jan. 28 in a snowmobiling accident upstate, and that blue line on Robinson Avenue, across from Sacred Heart Church in the City of Newburgh, offered a salute during the final farewell.
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” said Steve LaChioma, who knew Romano since he was about 9 years old. “He’s like a nephew to me.”
The city shut down several blocks near the church to accommodate the Mass of Christian Burial Thursday morning, and police officers, city, state and many from other municipalities, gathered with firefighters to pay their final respects to Romano.
LaChioma knew Romano, who was 32 years old, since he played youth football. LaChioma was a booster and coach for Newburgh Free Academy’s varsity football team, and Romano played for the Goldbacks. Romano would eventually attend SUNY Cortland and play defensive back there before he returned home to become a police officer.
“Not only a great athlete, but a tremendous person,” said LaChioma. “And you can see the outpouring by the community of how everybody feels about D.J. Romano.”
