Michael Pelliccio, a Bayonne, New Jersey native, and now Bayonne Firefighter, was in elementary school just across the Hudson River from Manhattan when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001. Michael was inspired by the first responders who worked at Ground Zero in the days and months following 9/11, and would eventually work alongside many of them at the Bayonne Fire Department. However, Michael isn’t the only member of his family who felt called to serve, as his brother, Anthony Pelliccio, enlisted in the United States Army following the attacks and now serves as a Police Lieutenant in Bayonne, New Jersey. Before them, both of their grandfathers had served in the United States military.

Michael’s devotion to service is made clear by his ten years of service as a firefighter, and a recent promotion to Captain in October 2022, as well as his decade long commitment to the mission of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Michael ran in the Tunnel to Towers NYC 5K for the first time in 2013, and was motivated to continue participating in the race each year after seeing so many Military Heroes and First Responders come out to show their support, as well as seeing other teams who show up in troves. Michael founded the “Bayonne’s Bravest” team in 2014, and has since raised over $50,000 for T2T. This year, they have partnered with Bayonne Police to honor four officers who lost their lives this past year, and this will be their largest team to date.

Michael has stated that the most rewarding part of his involvement with T2T are the families and individuals that receive assistance from the foundation, and that it is truly awe inspiring to see the veterans and first responders who attend events and the passion they demonstrate.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation would like to thank Michael Pelliccio for his decade of support for the foundation!