Vernon Police carry torch in support of Special Olympics

VERNON — The Vernon Township Police Department along with other police agencies in the state participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run, on June 7, to raise money to support the Special Olympics New Jersey.

The Torch Run is run by sponsored law enforcement officers and involves a series of relays that start at several locations all over the state. The torch is passed from police department to police department and eventually ends up at the College of New Jersey in Trenton for the opening ceremonies for the New Jersey Summer Special Olympics.

The Vernon branch started at 6:15 a.m. at Mountain Creek (the site of the New Jersey Winter Special Olympics). The start of the run was attended by several local Special Olympians from the Vernon Express Team who ran a portion of the run. The run proceeded south on Route 94 and once the run entered Hardyston Township, runners from Hardyston Police joined the Vernon Police runners.

The runners continued south to the intersection of Route 94 and Route 23 where they met with the runners which started in Wantage on Rt. 23. The run then continued south on Route 23 passing the Torch through each jurisdiction until it reached Trenton.

The Vernon Township Police Department collected donations of approximately $2,500 for the Special Olympics New Jersey. The following businesses made contributions to the Torch Run: Mountain Creek, Vernon Township Schools’ faculty, Minerals Resort, H&H Auto Supply, Aspen Environmental, McAfee Hardware, GRM Automotive, “Amazing Grapes,” and “Friends from Highland Lakes.”