By Eric Kowal, Picatinny Arsenal

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. – The family of a motor vehicle accident victim is praising the quick and selfless actions of an off-duty Picatinny Arsenal firefighter who stopped to provide critical roadside aid before emergency crews arrived to the scene earlier this summer.

Gregory Nyce, who had just completed a 48-hour shift at Picatinny, was on his way home when he witnessed the accident in Franklin Township.

The accident victim, a woman who was entrapped in the vehicle, suffered severe lacerations on multiple areas to include her legs which were trapped, her left side, back and neck, and was experiencing breathing complications because of the head-on collision.

Recognizing that the woman needed help, Nyce grabbed his emergency medical kit and rendered aid, remaining with her until additional emergency responders arrived.

“There was a lot of blood, so I did grab a tourniquet but luckily I was able to stop the bleeding, and I didn’t need to apply it,” Nyce said as he recalled the incident.

Due to the severity of the vehicle’s damage, firefighters used a heavy-duty hydraulic rescue tool known at the “Jaws of Life” to pry open the crushed car and free the trapped victim.

“I stayed with her and explained what was going on and tried to keep her calm,” Nyce said.

“That’s a big thing they teach us in the fire services, is that when accident victims hear things going on, glass breaking, the jaws of life cutting through metal, it can make things worse. I just stayed with her and helped explain what was taking place. They are cutting out your passenger side door, and you are going to be ok.”

40 minutes after the accident occurred, the woman had been cut free and placed on a backboard before being transferred to a nearby hospital.

For Nyce, who has 25 years of experience as a fire fighter, responding to the incident was second nature.
“Nobody was on scene yet, so the right thing to do is stop,” Nyce said. “We have a duty to act. It’s what we are trained to do. We have a duty to help the public.”

After learning of Nyce’s identity weeks later, the accident victim’s family submitted an Interactive Customer Evaluation, or ICE, comment through the Army website to express their appreciation for the Firefighter Nyce’s professionalism, compassion, and willingness to act without hesitation. A family friend informed them of the ICE tool as a way to contact the firefighter’s command team and let them know of his heroic actions.

“As a family member, I want to express my deepest gratitude to off-duty firefighter Greg Nyce. He stopped to help our loved one after a serious accident on the morning of July 10, 2026. She was in a frightening and uncertain moment where she was stuck inside her vehicle and injured. Greg chose to step in and help without hesitation.

“Knowing someone was there to offer assistance and support until emergency crews arrived means more to our family than words can fully express. Your compassion, courage, and willingness to help a stranger will not be forgotten.

“From our entire family, thank you for being there when it mattered most. We are truly grateful for you, and all of the first responders that came to her aid.”

Nyce, who began volunteering as a firefighter at age 16, and also served eight years in the U.S. Army, is now entering his 11th year as a federal firefighter.

For him, stepping into the firehouse each morning is more than just reporting for duty; it is answering a call woven into the very fabric of his DNA.

With both his father, grandfather, and great grandfather having spent time as volunteer firefighters, service is an unquestioned heritage in the Nyce lineage.

Now, watching his own son gear up on the apparatus floor as a rookie firefighter, Nyce feels a profound bridge connecting past, present, and future through five generations of firefighters.

“My whole life has been about service to my country and the community,” he said. “I’m not in this to be thanked but it is nice to know that those we help are thankful for our service.”