Suffolk officer who lost both legs in Afghanistan gets Jets honor

What started as a routine press conference for the Suffolk County Police Department turned into a surprise moment of recognition for Matias Ferreira, 36, of Smithtown.

Ferreira, the nation’s first double amputee to serve as an active-duty police officer, was called out Wednesday by none other than former New York Jets fullback Tony Richardson.

The announcement came via FaceTime, orchestrated by Steve Castleton, the Jets’ military liaison.

Castleton had gathered the press to highlight the team’s work in honoring more than 10,000 local law enforcement and military personnel over the years.

Then came the curveball:

“The New York Jets are playing against the Dallas Cowboys in a week, and they were wondering if you would be our veteran of the game,” Richardson told Ferreira.

Ferreira, visibly stunned, could only smile.

“I am honestly very shocked,” he said.

A life of service

Ferreira’s journey is remarkable. Born in Uruguay, he immigrated to the United States at age 6 and later joined the U.S. Marines.

While serving in Afghanistan in 2011, he stepped on an IED and lost both legs below the knee.

He’s worn prosthetics since.

“Undeterred, Ferreira came back to the United States and fulfilled his lifelong dream, which is to become a police officer,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina.

He joined the department in 2016, graduated from the academy the following year, and later spent five years training hundreds of new recruits.

Now working in the Fourth Precinct, Ferreira is on track to become a detective, according to Catalina.

Sharing the moment

Ferreira said he thought he was attending a standard press conference — not one focused on him. Seeing familiar faces from his academy class in the crowd made the surprise even more special.

“Justin Fields is my quarterback for fantasy football so I’ll have a live score there,” he joked, “but it’s very exciting to be recognized. It’s always an awesome experience being out with military service members and law enforcement. I’m very excited for that day.”

Finding strength

The past decade, Ferreira said, has been “a blur.” He’s leaned on therapists, clergy, and fellow veterans to help him stay focused on the positive. That openness, he said, now fuels his work as a police officer.

“I think if you sit down and talk to people, you’ll learn that everyone has a story,” he said. “So I strive to be vulnerable, be transparent, and let them know that this uniform — the things I do for a living — aren’t what shapes me, but more so the overcoming of all these obstacles.”

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Top: Suffolk County Police Officer Matias Ferreira, third from right, was recognized by the New York Jets and will be the ‘Veteran of the Game’ when the Jets play the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 5.