Piscataway Police Officer, 28, Dies From Cancer

PISCATAWAY, NJ — The Piscataway Township police force is mourning one of its officers who lost her year-long battle with cancer this week, at the age of 28.

Julia Caseres, 28, died this past Friday, June 21, the Piscataway police department announced on Facebook.

Caseres lived in Clinton, but is originally from Union. She graduated from Union High School. Caseres also stands out because, to this day, she holds the title of New Jersey's all-time leading soccer in college-level soccer, among both men and women. Caseres graduated from New Jersey City University in 2011, where she played on the varsity women's soccer team, a Division III program, and majored in criminal justice, the college announced in a press release. Her remarkable achievement led Caseres to be featured in the September 5, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated.

She had a rare form of lung cancer, and she battled the disease for a year, according to NJCU. In May of this year, Caseres was honored by her alma mater with the school's first-ever NJCU "True Grit" award, "given to an individual who has gone through tremendous hardship, however through perseverance, resiliency and flat out grit, found the power to rise above and overcome."

"Adversity is having to deal with a potentially terminal disease at the age of 28 years old, one month after she had gotten married and three years after joining the police department," said NJCU in a statement provided to Patch. "Lung cancer is stigmatized as something you only get if you smoked, but here you have a superior athlete just starting her life, suffering from the disease ... She never complained and stayed positive the entire time."

As the all-time leading soccer scorer for any college or university in the state of New Jersey, Caseres finished her college career with 100 goals and 42 assists, for a total of 242 points in 86 career games, according to NJCU.

Caseres worked as a patrol office for Piscataway Twp. police, a job she had held for the past three years, up until her death.

“The passing of Officer Julia Caseres is being felt with deep sorrow throughout the Township,” Piscataway Mayor Brian C. Wahler said in a statement. “Her legacy of kindness and camaraderie as well as bravery in the face of challenge will long shape for the better the many friends she made in her life that ended tragically short."

"She is a role model not only for children but for all generations whom can learn much from her tenacity of spirit and heartfelt dedication to others. The Township Council and I are profoundly grateful for all that she gave our community," he said.

Her funeral will be at the Galante Funeral Home, 2800 Morris Ave. Union on Wednesday June 26, at 8:30 a.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Spirit Church, 971 Suburban Rd. Union at 10:30 a.m.

Interment will follow at The New Cemetery in Somerville. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation for Julia on Tuesday from 5-9 PM at the funeral home.

"In the few short years Julia was with us she impacted so many. Her beautiful smile and bubbly personality will surely be missed. Rest in peace, sister," said the Piscataway police department in a Facebook post.

She is survived by her wife, Lex, her parents, Margaret and Manuel, her sisters, Victoria and Joyce, and three brothers, Orlando, Nicholas and Andrew. Her family asks that donations in her honor can be made to the Special Olympics: http://www.specialolympics.org