During a fire at her house on the morning of January 13, 2023, SCBPO Montanaro, her husband, and their eight-year old daughter self-rescued from the burning house. When SCBPO Montanaro became aware her six-year-old daughter was still inside the house, she utilized her training and skills as a first responder and law enforcement officer to selflessly re-enter the burning home in hopes of rescuing the child. First responders found SCBPO Montanaro trapped inside and unconscious, having sustained serious trauma to both of her arms and hands. Tragically, both SCBPO Montanaro and her daughter passed away on January 14, 2023.
SCBPO Montanaro’s dedication to the CBP mission was only second to her love and devotion to her family. She lost her life due to her heroic actions, demonstrating her inherent commitment to law enforcement and selflessly protecting those around her.
SCBPO Montanaro most recently served as a first-line supervisor at the Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. She began her CBP career in 2007 at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in passenger processing. In 2013, SCBPO Montanaro transferred to the Port of New York/Newark and joined the port’s Training Division. She was instrumental in teaching immigration law and related adverse action processing. Additionally, she was the subject matter expert for many of the CBP systems used by our passenger processing officers. In 2021, she joined the management ranks as a supervisor and remained with the Training Division.
SCBPO Montanaro is survived by her husband and their daughter.