MyVeronaNJ » Crossing Guard

Crossing Guard Suffers Heart Attack

Virginia Citrano — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:31:32 +0000

Frank Melitti, the crossing guard at the intersection of Lanning and Elmwood roads, is recovering at Mountainside Hospital after suffering a heart attack over the weekend. Sergent Smith of the Verona Police Department says surgeons put two stents in Melitti’s heart and that he is now resting comfortably. Laning parents are taking up a collection for Melitti in case you want to help out.

Sid The Crossing Guard Had Hip Surgery

Virginia Citrano — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:54:47 +0000

Sidney Lichter, the Linden and Grove intersection crossing guard who was hit by a pickup truck during last month’s snowstorm, had hip surgery yesterday.

According to a spokesperson at University Hospital, Lichter is in “guarded” condition in its Surgical Intensive Care Unit and will probably be in the hospital for a while recovering.

Meanwhile, thanks to all of you who went to the Montclair Red Cross yesterday to give blood in a show of support for Lichter. “We had an amazing turnout,” says Melanie Hazim, director of blood services in Montclair. “There was an increase of 20 people. We don’t know that they all came out for Sid, but it was definitely busier than usual.” Hazim also notes that, if Verona residents want to keep giving blood, the center’s regular donation day is the second Thursday of every month. You can make an appointment by calling 973-746-1800.

We’ll post more news about our crossing guard as soon as we’ve got it.

Give Blood For Sid The Crossing Guard

Virginia Citrano — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:07:08 +0000

The Montclair chapter of the American Red Cross will be hosting a blood drive for Sidney Lichter, the long-time crossing guard at Linden and Grove who was hit by a pickup truck during last month’s snowstorm.

The blood drive is this Thursday, March 11, from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. and if you are going, you need to make an appointment by calling 973-746-1800. The Red Cross office is at 63 Park Street up the block from the main building of the YMCA.

The rules about donating blood have changed a bit. You can learn whether you are eligible by consulting this page on the Red Cross’ Web site.

Lichter will soon be undergoing hip surgery. We’ll let you know as soon as we have more details.

Verona’s Most Entertaining Crossing Guard

Ann Matturro Gault — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:00:38 +0000

Jim Schroeder poses with Forest Avenue School 2nd graders (l-r) Clara Frizzi, Caroline Gault, Monica Egnezzo and Annie Johnson at his post on the corners of Forest and Hillside Avenues.

Unless you work from home, you can’t beat crossing guard Jim Schroeder’s daily commute. On weekday mornings during the school year, you’ll find him on the corners of Hillside and Forest Avenues—directly in front of his house. “I leave for work at 8:40 a.m. and I arrive at 8:40 a.m.,” jokes the former cable splicer who spent 35 years high above—and below–the sidewalks.

Today Jim prefers keeping his feet on the ground. Like many of Verona’s crossing guards he raised his children here–he has four children and 5 grandchildren–and likes the way his job keeps him connected to the youngsters. “The kids keep me young and get me out of bed in the morning,” says Jim, who also answers to Jay Jay.

In addition to his crossing guard gig, Jim also works as a professional magician and clown. “I’ve loved magic since I was a kid growing up in East Orange. There was a wonderful magic shop–Mecca Magic–in my neighborhood. It was my second home,” admits Jim. Overtime, what started as a childhood interest kept evolving. “In 1966, I was in the army and sent to Vietnam. Magic became a way to entertain my buddies in the bars and pass the time in the barracks.”

My son Billy, 12, is one of Jim’s biggest fans. To Billy, Jay Jay is much more than an adult who gets him safely across the street. Not long after we moved to our current home near Forest Avenue School, Billy discovered magic tricks in an old suitcase. They had belonged to his great grandfather.

Billy knew of Jim’s magic act and like a true mentor, Jim took Billy under his wing offering free advice, slight-of-hand tips and constant encouragement. The first trick Billy mastered—with a little help from his crossing guard friend—was turning four colored scarves into one magically-connected square of material.” The change bag trick is popular with audiences and one of my favorite tricks,” says Billy.

Always generous with his time, Jim was in the crowd cheering Billy on when the aspiring magician took his show–Never Tell Magic–on the road at the Verona Talent Show in January. But that wasn’t the first time Billy followed in Jim’s footsteps.

Two years ago, Jim was scheduled to perform magic for Billy’s cub scout troop when he was hurt in a car accident. The injury forced him to break the engagement at the last minute. Rather than disappoint the boys, Jim suggested Billy step in as his replacement. Thanks to Jim’s tutelage up to that point, Billy had mastered a few tricks of his own and the show was able to go on as planned.

Sixth grader, Billy Gault, poses with school crossing guard, magician and friend Jim Schroeder. In addition to helping Billy get across the street safely, Jim has been a magic mentor to the 12-year-old.

Another time, when Billy was frustrated to the point of tears trying to make a trick work, he called Jim in desperation. Feeling Billy’s pain, Jim made a quick pit stop to our house even though he was late to a doctor’s appointment.

Over the years, Jim has come to the aid of many children and adults in Verona. His trademark clown car can easily be seen around town—it has a big, red clown nose affixed to its front grille—and is stocked with a first aid kit, pens and pencils, doggie waste bags, tissues and the like. “I’ve loaned kids money, let them use my phone to call home and even poured water into a parent’s car to keep it from overheating. I like to be ready for anything,” says Jim who also enjoys goofing with the kids.

“I’ve had fun this winter lobbing snowballs at the kids and some have been thrown back in my direction, too.” But when it comes to crossing the street, he’s all business. “I report reckless drivers to the police and keep tabs on the general surroundings,” says Jim. “When the kids are out with me, I consider them my kids and I do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Once they get home, they’re your problem.”

In spite of the button he wears on his jacket which reads: I’m in charge of diddly squat, clearly no one messes with his kids.

Give A Card To Sid The Crossing Guard

Julia Martin Langan — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:20:01 +0000

We’ve been worried about Sid ever since we reported that a pickup truck slid into him last Thursday during the snowstorm, just after he finished leading his young charges from F.N. Brown across Linden and Grove. Sid Lichter has been a fixture at that corner for nearly a decade and we miss him. We can’t offer much detail about his condition due to medical privacy laws, but suffice it to say that things are a little more complicated when you are in your sixth decade of life, and Sid will almost certainly be at University Hospital in Newark for another week at least. Police Chief Doug Huber has told us that he speaks to Sid’s wife daily, and we’ve been speaking to Chief Huber almost as often. We’ll let you know of any developments that we are free to share. Meanwhile, you can drop off get-well cards at the Police Station and Chief Huber will make sure they get to Sid.

Crossing Guard Hit By Pickup Truck

Julia Martin Langan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:15:17 +0000

The crossing guard stationed near FN Brown Elementary School was hit yesterday around 1 pm as he concluded his shift crossing students and parents leaving school early due to the snow storm. According to Police Chief Doug Huber, the guard, whose name he could not specify due to medical privacy regulations, was crossing the street to go to his car when a pickup truck slid in the snow and hit him, knocking him down. The guard, who is in his ’60′s, was taken to University Hospital in Newark with a fractured hip. Further details were not available.