By Susan K. Livio, Karin Price Mueller and Brent Johnson
nj.com
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. — A volunteer EMS squad in Hunterdon County honored two late members — including NJ.com politics reporter Matt Arco — by debuting an ambulance bearing their names Sunday.
More than 70 friends, family members, and colleagues gathered for the unveiling of the new ambulance dedicated to the memories of Arco and Spring Pittore, who were both volunteers of the Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance & Rescue Squad.
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The event at the squad’s headquarters in the hills of Lambertville, just off the Delaware River, began as the pouring rain of the morning slowed to a persistent drizzle.
Emblazoning the vehicle with the names of Arco and Pittore “just made sense,” said squad president Lisa Aron.
“They were two members who gave of their time and made an impact on our squad,” Aron said. “Their service and dedication continue to be part of who we are.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and several members of the Lambertville City Council joined the dozens who came for the remembrance.
Michael Dessoye, the squad’s chaplain, noted the event landed on Memorial Day weekend and that Arco’s and Pittore’s “commitment to service reminds us that heroism is not always found in battlefields.”
“Sometimes, it is found in the back of an ambulance,” Dessoye said.
Arco, an award-winning journalist who covered state and national politics, died suddenly of natural causes at home in Lambertville on April 30, 2025. He was 39.
A native of Rockland County, N.Y., Arco got his start in journalism at the Legislative Gazette in Albany, the Roswell Daily Record in New Mexico, and the Portland Daily Sun in Maine. In 2012, he moved to Princeton and began covering New Jersey politics as a reporter at PolitickerNJ, and joined NJ Advance Media — the company that provides content to NJ.com and The Star Ledger — in 2014.
Arco was the news organization’s top reporter chronicling Gov. Chris Christie‘s administration and became one of the nation’s go-to journalists on the high-profile Republican, detailing his town halls and presidential campaign stops from New Hampshire to Iowa.
After Christie launched his second bid for president in 2023, Arco produced a must-read newsletter that gave readers an in-depth account of how the ex-governor tried to topple his former friend Donald Trump. The twice-weekly newsletter, “What Makes Christie Run?” won Arco an award from the National Press Club and a nomination for a Shorty Award, which honors journalism on social media.
Another tribute to Arco’s career came earlier this month, when the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists renamed its annual award for best state government coverage in his honor.
Arco began volunteering for the EMS squad in the last few years of his life.
“His dedication, courage, and compassion shone through in everything he did,” said Dessoye, the squad chaplain. “(He brought) comfort, care, and kindness to people in some of the darkest moments of their lives.”
Aron, the squad president, called Arco “a gifted writer” who was always personable and always eager to lend a hand.
Arco is survived by his husband, Michael Karam, and his brother, Christopher Arco, as well as nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Pittore, a school nurse and canine search and rescue specialist, died on Nov. 4, 2023, at 67.
Pittore filled her life with service to others. She was a Canine Search Specialist with New Jersey Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue, and a first responder for the World Trade Center 9/11 attack with her K9 partner, Nutmeg.
She served as the rescue squad’s K9 Unit Leader and was president of the Palisades Search and Rescue Dog Association.
After graduating from Mercer Medical Center School of Nursing and Trenton State College, she worked as a lactation consultant and a staff nurse for Hunterdon Medical Center. Later, she became the school nurse at West Amwell Elementary School.
“To her family, she was a source of strength, love, and guidance,” said Dessoye, the squad chaplain. “To her community, she was a protector, a teacher, and a doer. Spring dedicated her life to helping others in every way possible.”
Aron, the squad president, said Pittore “was an amazing person who accomplished so much over the years. As a woman, I always found her inspirational. She was, for a lack of a better word, badass. More than that, she was a nice person who cared about her community.”
Pittore is survived by her husband, Pasquale (Pat) Pittore, son Daniel, his wife Sara, and granddaughter Zita Fay; and son Matthew, his wife Danielle, and granddaughter Brianna Spring, as well as siblings and extended family.
Pat Kaynaroglu, Pittore’s best friend of more than 30 years, said volunteering is about making a difference in other people’s lives, “and that’s what Spring did.”
Karam, Arco’s husband, shared that he often wears his husband’s EMS shirt to feel close to him.
Even though Karam now lives hundreds of miles from Lambertville, many people with ties to the area have commented on the shirt.
“He would really get a kick out of seeing his name on the side of an ambulance,” Karam said.
Donations to support the squad in Arco and Pittore’s memories can be made to P.O. Box 237, Lambertville, NJ 08530. Or you can contribute here.
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