Foundation To Pay Off Jersey City Det. Joseph Seals' Mortgage

JERSEY CITY, NJ —The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation will pay for the mortgage on the home of Detective Joseph Seals, the Jersey City police officer who was killed during a shootout Tuesday.

The home will be paid off by Christmas with the generosity of the foundation's Fallen First Responder Home Program.

"Joseph Seals was a veteran officer and a hero, and he ran toward danger and put his life on the line, so the foundation believes it is our responsibility to protect his family," said Trevor Tamsen, a foundation spokesperson.

The foundation is accepting donations to help defray the cost of paying off the mortgage. (Click here to donate.)

Seals was a 13-year veteran of the Jersey City Police Department. He joined the department in 2006, and was promoted to detective in 2017. He was a member of the department's cease-fire unit, and authorities said dozens of guns were taken off the streets under his watch.

A GoFundMe campaign for Seals' family raised more than $413,000 since it went live Wednesday. The funds will help pay for his children's educations, housing, and other expenses. (See related: Fundraisers For Jersey City Shooting Victims Raise $315K In A Day)

Seals, 39, of North Arlington, was among six people killed in the shootout Tuesday, including two suspects and three civilians, in an hourslong shootout with two heavily armed gunmen in Jersey City.

The foundation honors the sacrifice of New York City firefighter Stephen Siller, who was killed during the 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center. Siller abandoned his car in the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and ran to respond to the terror attacks. The foundation has spent more than $125 million honoring and supporting first responders, veterans, and their families.

"You can see police officers and firefighters and every one who decides to serve knows the risks, and their families know the risks, and they all serve together. We honor that," Tamsen said. "Through the foundation, we say when one of our heroes are killed, we'll take care of their families. They won't have to leave their homes, leaving the places where they made so many families memories."

Three civilian victims were also identified in the shooting: Moshe Hersh Deutsch, 24, and Leah Mindel Ferencz, 32, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal previously said. Grewal said. Douglas "Miguel" Rodriguez, 49, was also killed.

Two suspects, David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50, were also killed in the shooting, Grewal said.

Related:

• Cop Killed In Jersey City Standoff: A Hero Before; A Hero Now
  
• Suspects, Victims ID'd After 6 Killed In Jersey City Shooting

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com