Keep on Truckin’
Flemington Car & Truck Country increases
its support for the NJ State PBA
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
n PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI JR.
Steve Kalafer came to the NJ State PBA meeting on Dec. 4 to
offer a fairly significant gift to the membership. The owner of
Flemington Car & Truck Country, Kalafer has become one of law
enforcement’s greatest supporters and has donated more than
$150,000 to the NJSPBA Survivor & Welfare Fund the past four
years.
But this time, Kalafer even outdid himself. Along with Jerry
Sheehan, the general manager emeritus of the Flemington fam-
ily of brands, Kalafer’s son Josh and salesman Tom Santangelo, a
retired Raritan Township Local 337 member, Kalafer presented
the new Ford F-350 truck his company is donating to the PBA
to haul its renowned Special Services trailer to law enforcement
events across the country.
What he didn’t expect to find at the meeting were the thou-
sands of toys members had carried in that day for the annual
PBA Toy Drive. Swept up in the spirit, Kalafer asked Josh to fig-
ure out a way to instantaneously support the PBA Toy Drive.
So before getting to the truck, he announced a donation of
50 Kindle Fire Alexa-enabled tablets to New Jersey Foster and
Adoptive Family Services, the beneficiary of the PBA Toy Drive.
And he committed that if those 50 could be provided to young
adults to support their educational advancement, Flemington
would donate an additional 50 Kindles.
“I did not expect to see the work and thoughtfulness and de-
cency that you all put into this toy drive,” Kalafer told the mem-
bers. “It upsets me greatly that there are people out there – pan-
derers and pimps – who, when it comes to doing the right thing
for law enforcement, trade out headlines or a statement that put
you and your families in danger.”
Then he made his own statement about what brought him
here, about what motivated his presentation of the new truck, a
bevy of Kindles and a whole lot more.
“You know, I get a lot of phone calls from elected officials who
ask me to be quiet about my support for you,” he continued.
“Well, I’m not going to be quiet.”
The statement of support seemed to draw an even greater
ovation than the donation of the truck and Kindles.
“There’s people who say they support law enforcement, but
they don’t put their money where their mouth is,” praised PBA
President Pat Colligan. “Steve has not only given us a truck but
he’s also donated to the trailer. And his generosity doesn’t stop
there. He said it. There are people who want him to be quiet.
And supporting law enforcement is not the most popular busi-
ness decision in 2018. But that’s not his concern. His concern is
to know the women and men in blue are appreciated.”
The new truck is being fully outfitted with every detail to
facilitate the cross-country trips that the PBA makes with the
trailer to the funerals for line-of-duty deaths with the utmost
comfort for members who are part of the team. And the value of
that support is almost immeasurable.
“It’s going to extend our range and be a much better and more
comfortable platform for those who journey to support their
brothers and sisters to work from,” noted PBA Special Projects
32
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ DECEMBER 2018
Flemington Car & Truck Country owner Steve Kalafer presents a picture of
the new Ford F-350 truck his dealership is donating to the PBA to pull its
Special Services trailer.
The PBA presented Flemington Car & Truck Country with a special plaque
in appreciation of its ongoing support.
Coordinator John Hulse, who leads many of the PBA expedi-
tions with the trailer. “Flemington’s generosity will help us take
a great thing and make it even greater.”
For all the support from Flemington Car & Truck Country,
the PBA wanted to make its own gift of appreciation. Colligan
presented the Flemington team with a plaque of the PBA logo
mounted on the Ford logo outline, a hand-carved message of
thanks on a second plaque and a cache of challenge coins.
Kalafer reminded members that he will be back for the PBA
Mini Convention in March, where he has doubled the total for
the 50/50 giveaway the past two years. And after inviting law
enforcement officers to the dealership the last Saturday of every
quarter for special deals, he offered one last thank-you note.
“We want to spread the message of what you do in New Jer-
sey, and we want to provide the substance to back you up,” Ka-
lafer declared. “We respect you and we want nothing to get in
the way of your work.”