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The following is excerpted from EMPIRE CITY UNDER SIEGE: Three Decades of New York FBI Field Office Manhunts, Murders, and Mafia Wars which features the true stories from Anthony John Nelson, who served four decades of distinguished law enforcement experience as a former Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI, before joining the Brooklyn DA's Special Investigations Unit.
Real heroes are hard to find these days.
Real heroes never call themselves that.
Real heroes shun the spotlight, never grab for the mic, never take credit, and never complain.
Real heroes hold others up, hold things together, and above all, hold themselves accountable to their own highest standards.
I first met Anthony Nelson in a New Jersey bagel shop on a warm summer Sunday morning to discuss an entirely separate book project, different, but also about courage and law enforcement. I'd been referred to that project by former NYPD Detective Tommy Dades.
That project fell through, despite its merits, mostly due to my fumbling and bumbling.
In a last-ditch effort to salvage that endeavor, I met with Anthony and his lovely wife, Syndee, for breakfast at their home. I should note that Anthony had no vested interest in the success of that other project.
With each clipping and grainy crime scene photo Anthony pulled from a pile, he made the case for forging ahead on this other doomed project. Yet every story was a highlight of someone else, some detective, some investigator, just some other hero - Anthony forever casting himself in a supportive role.
After an hour of being pummeled by story after story of shootouts, organized crime takedowns, celebrity abductions, hostage crises, and homicide investigations, I knew there was something there.
Even if Anthony did not see it.
Anthony didn't want credit, didn't want cash, didn't want to be front and center. And he certainly didn't want his name on the cover.
Still, for some time, Anthony just did not want anything to do with a book about all these amazing tales.
Even when Syndee and I were able to get Anthony to entertain the remote possibility of publishing a book based on his stories (of course, with the urging of his family), it was a hard sell.
It took time. Eventually, though, Anthony came around. But there were conditions.
He wouldn't share stories that could impact victims, wouldn't include details that could compromise investigations, wouldn't divulge FBI techniques, and wouldn't participate in publicity, unless absolutely necessary.
And more than anything, for Anthony to even consider this project, he had two deal breakers.
He did not want to share the spotlight.
He wanted to shine the spotlight.
Not on himself.
On those he considered the real heroes, his heroes. Those men and women he worked with during his lengthy career, many interviewed here, and most prominently Kenneth "Kenny" McCabe, Sr., but also hundreds of others.
Apologies to 19th-century playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton, as the pen may be mightier than the sword, but as I found on this journey with Anthony Nelson, the shield is mightier than all.
A shield is not just a badge worn or a decoration borne, but the last line of defense of the defenseless held up by real heroes who uphold the law against the lawless, even when it is difficult, especially when it is dangerous.
I did my best to cast these heroes in the light they deserve. Though ultimately, that was a fool's errand. There are limits to my abilities. I just hope this work reflects my well-meant intentions.
Secondly, more importantly, in fact most importantly, Anthony did not want to get anything wrong.
Get it right. No matter what. No matter how long it takes.
I'm certainly no hero. I'm just a storyteller. And these sure are great stories. Stories of bravery, disaster, danger, and, well, heroic acts by everyday people. But I've never negotiated a hostage crisis, never been shot or shot at, never put my life on the line.
Therefore, any and all omissions, inaccuracies, or other issues with facts, writ large and small, are entirely my responsibility and my fault.
Understand, these are not just stories, not just crimes on a blotter. These are legacies of quiet courage in times of chaos. Pretending this work does them justice is a reach.
So, as I've come to learn on this journey, real heroes never call themselves that.
Real heroes shun the spotlight, never grab for the mic, never take credit, and never complain.
Real heroes are hard to find.
And the thing with our heroes is we never know when we'll ever encounter them, if we ever do.
It could just be in a New Jersey bagel shop on a warm summer Sunday morning.
Enjoy the read.
