Sergeant Bryan Hruby of the Villa Park Police Department was honored at the Villa Park Village Board’s Oct. 26 meeting for his life-saving actions outside of the village while he was off duty.
“While on a family cruise in May 2025 with his wife, Dawn, Sergeant Hruby was off duty, out of uniform, and under no obligation to act,” stated the Village of Villa Park and the Villa Park Police Department in a statement praising Hruby’s actions. “Then an 81-year-old passenger collapsed in front of him. Without hesitation, Sergeant Hruby took control and performed CPR compressions until medical personnel arrived.”
According to the ship’s doctor and the ER doctor who treated the passenger onshore, Hruby’s actions saved the passenger’s life.
“The passenger’s family later reached out to Dawn to share that he was doing much better, and to call Sergeant Hruby a hero,” related the statement.
The Villa Park Police Department presented Hruby with a Life-Saving Award at the recent Village Board meeting to recognize his heroic efforts.
“Bryan jumped into action and began life-saving measures,” said Villa Park Chief of Police Todd Kubish during the Oct. 26 village board meeting. “It was pretty apparent that Bryan’s actions saved his life.”
Kubish thanked Lieutenant Todd Gutzmer of the Villa Park Fire Department for teaching CPR to Hruby and other members of the police department.
“Todd has trained many people here at the police department with CPR,” said Kubish, who added that Gutzmer has also provided CPR training to other village staff members. “Without his help, Bryan wouldn’t have known how to do CPR.”
“His actions reflect the very best of law enforcement: courage, professionalism, compassion, and a commitment to helping others,” added the village and the police department in the statement honoring Hruby.
