Matthew Cerrato

Matt Cerrato is an Officer in the East Hanover Police Department, where he has served in the Patrol Division for the past eleven years. Matt serves as a CPR instructor, ESU operator, police academy instructor, #NOTEVENONCE instructor as well as a L.E.A.D. Instructor (Law Enforcement Against Drugs). It is through the L.E.A.D. program that Matt and Johnny first met. Matt served as Johnny's 5th grade Instructor in the beginning of 2020. It was around this time that Johnny received his terrible diagnosis. With school and the world placed on pause due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Matt realized this was an opportunity to help. Matt and Johnny began their friendship, someone he described as "his little brother". Whether it be daily texts, long games of online monopoly while at the hospital, or Johnny's "Fantasy Football" advice, the bond between the two grew. This bond was not only formed with Johnny, but also with the Kinney family, who became a second family to Matt. Although Johnny is no longer with us, his impact and legacy will never be forgotten. Matt's "little brother" left his legacy to the community and all that he touched. It's this legacy that Matt strives to have live on and to ensure that the hero Johnny is, never be forgotten.