Tarrytown’s Police Department welcomed kindergarten cop Officer Ethan to their ranks in February during a special ceremony and day planned for the young resident.
Outfitted in a customized blue uniform and hat, a motorcade of police vehicles picked Ethan up at home and proceeded to Village Hall, where he was sworn in as a junior officer by Mayor Karen Brown.
Ethan was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022, an aggressive brain cancer with no cure. After Make-a-Wish Hudson Valley sent Ethan to Disney World this year with his sisters and parents, Chief Barbelet learned that the 5-year-old always wanted to be an officer and decided to give him a day to remember.
“It was important to the entire community, that we could come together and fulfill a wish of one of our youngest residents,” said Mayor Brown. “And we hope that this fills him with joy and sustains him.”
Attending Ethan’s ceremony were his mother, Isabel Estevez, father Anthony Hierro, sisters Eva and Abigail, grandmother Maritza Gabriel, uncle Lorgan Prado, and best friend Obriana. They watched as Chief Barbelet presented Ethan with a plaque from the department. Made out to Tarrytown Junior Police Officer Ethan, it read: “Always remember you are BRAVER than you BELIEVE, STRONGER than you think, MORE HANDSOME than you can imagine, & LOVED MORE than you know.”
Ethan took some calls at the department before getting inside his official cruiser — an electric ride-on car with personalized sticker decals. They next drove over to the county police academy, where Ethan visited the bomb squad. He got to see their robots in action, and met two explosive detection canines, yellow labs named Casey and Trooper.
They ended the day with a pizza party at Tarrytown police headquarters, where Ethan enjoyed his go-to favorite, chicken fingers and fries with ketchup from Bella’s.
While the department has been involved with the Make-A-Wish foundation before, this was the first time Tarrytown police fulfilled a wish on their own. “It’s such a difficult thing for the family to have to go through,” said Lieutenant Joseph Barosa. “Hopefully we made one day special for Ethan.”
When he’s not fighting crime, Ethan loves playing with cars, Roblox, and trains, hanging out with his sisters, and watching Friday night movies with popcorn and pizza. His favorite color is blue.
“My son Ethan is a fighter. Since he was born, I knew he was special. I felt in my heart,” said his father. “I have no words to thank such a beautiful gesture from the Tarrytown Police Department. What they did for my son and my family, we’ll always carry it in our hearts. God bless every officer who participated and set his commitment and dedication to give my son Ethan a day of happiness.”
Ethan’s family is seeking help on GoFundMe to cover costs for his treatment, which requires frequent travel to Tennessee. You can read more about his story and this brave junior officer there at their GoFundMe page.
What an incredible story. Thank you to the Tarrytown Police Department and all who made this happen. Go Ethan!
So glad I stumbled on this wonderful story. I am a long time supporter of Make-A-Wish. Three cheers to the Tarrytown PD.