Chester man wins $271,000 on 'Deal or No Deal'
Ex-cop, 9/11 survivor to help other cops
Thursday, January 3, 2008
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Jimeno, a former Port Authority Police Officer who survived the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, said he plans to use his winnings to start a nonprofit organization to benefit injured police officers.
"I'm not going to be able to save the world, but if I can touch someone's life once a year, that's really something," Jimeno said. "If I can make a difference, it makes me feel like I'm still a police officer."
On Wednesday evening, Jimeno watched the show, taped in October, for the first time with his wife, their two children, friends from the Port Authority, and his neighbors, the Logues.
During the show, Jimeno took an unprecedented shot at the feared "banker" when he successfully shot an apple off the top of the banker's head with a bow and arrow. However, he wasn't actually given access to the banker himself. He shot the apple off of a mannequin dressed as the banker, a figure in the show.
Jimeno's appearance on the show also kicked off the "Million Dollar Mission," which gave him two chances to win a million dollars.
"It was an incredible experience," Jimeno said. "It was exciting and exhilarating. It was very surreal to be on a show you watch with your family."
He also said everyone involved with the show was very supportive, including host Howie Mandel.
"They were welcoming and warm, and they really rooted for you," he said.
Jimeno was joined on stage by his parents, William and Emma Jimeno, and his sister, Karen Chaffe. Scott Strauss of the New York Police Department Emergency Service Unit Truck One, who led the operation to rescue Jimeno from beneath the collapsed World Trade Center, also accompanied him to the taping.
"Of all the men and women who wear the shield, Scott Strauss is my hero," Jimeno said during the show.
He said afterward that he wanted to thank the community for its overwhelming support.
Katelyn Farago can be reached at (973) 428-6630 or kfarago@gannett.com.
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