Rendered Safe: Tales of an NYPD Bomb Tech

by Jeff Ingber

Rendered Safe centers on the remarkable life of former NYPD Bomb Squad Detective Donald Sadowy. In the aftermath of the February 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the most devastating terrorist attack on the United States to that point, Sadowy risked his life to search for evidence in the shattered and dangerous sub-basement. There, he discovered a piece of chassis frame that contained a VIN number which enabled law enforcement to catch the perpetrators just in time. The massive investigation and recovery effort that followed is revealed through Sadowy’s recollections as well as those of a number of other law enforcement agents, many never before told.The World Trade Center bombing, designed to topple the Twin Towers, presaged 9/11. On that day, Sadowy defied overwhelming odds to survive being buried alive under the rubble of the collapsed South Tower.

In Forrest Gump-like fashion, during his career Sadowy was an astounding magnet for many other significant events and persons. He served for two years as personal bodyguard for U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim. During his 16 years in the NYPD Bomb Squad, he was involved in the Abortion Bomber case, the investigation of TWA flight 800, global intelligence missions, the handling of a multitude of improvised explosive devices, and the protection of key global figures such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Fidel Castro. At the end of his career, while serving in the U.S. Marshal’s office, Sadowy interacted with notables such as John Gotti Jr.

Based on extensive and exclusive interviews with a wide range of officials, Rendered Safe takes the reader into the life of a bomb technician and provides a tour of many of the most noteworthy events of recent decades.GOLD MEDAL WINNER, ELIT AWARDS (BIOGRAPHY)FINALIST, NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARDS (AUTOBIOGRAPHY/BIOGRAPHY)RUNNER-UP WINNER, NEW YORK BOOK FESTIVAL (AUTOBIOGRAPHY/BIOGRAPHY)

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2019

About the author

Jeff Ingber is a former financial industry executive and current consultant. His writings include novels, screenplays, short stories, and articles. Jeff's first screenplay was the basis for the 2019 film "Crypto" starring Kurt Russell and Alexis Bledel. A previous novel, "Shattered Lives," was made into a documentary film by Mactavish Pictures. A graduate of Queens College and NYU Law School, Jeff lives in New Jersey with his wife.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caveat - I received this Kindle e-book as a Goodreads Give Away.

There's a lot going on in this book. It's a pretty easy read, with lots of adventure in the bomb department of NYC Police. It really smacks of being the result of lots of people saying, "you should write a book!". Donald Sadowy is a real hero, as told in the pages of this book. He's been in on some of the most troubling events in recent American history, including TWA Flight 800 and the first bombing of the World Trade Center, in the parking garage. I knew that was a horrific blast, but the description in this book really put the power of the explosion in perspective. If you're a police enthusiast, and want to read about police heroism and good guys doing good things, this is an appropriate choice.
The weaknesses in the book are primarily centered around the writing. The frequent use of quotations, and jumping between quotes and narrative becomes confusing. It seems to be written from first person, but then is suddenly "about" Sadowy. There are also some odd sentence constructions that require the reader to stop and re-read, trying to decipher the meaning.

[Thomas Riddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interviews and the knowledge within this book are gold to those of us who want to better understand what happened thirty years ago.

Donald Sadowy came up through the ranks of NYPD and eventually ended up being a detective on the NYPD Bomb Squad. As a former Marine, Donald had much of the skills and the mindset to approach the job. His determination and his goal of doing whatever he could to keep the people of New York safer from crime seemed to be baked into who he was as a person. Possibly the right man at the right time could describe him as fate delivered him to investigate the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Not only the people of New York City were grateful, but the citizens of The United States should be thankful that Donald was there with a resolute determination to solve the case and bring justice to whoever was responsible. He did that by risking his life to go down into the highly dangerous and structurally unstable sub-basement. It was there, among all of the mangled cement and debris that he found a key bit of evidence: A piece of chassis frame that contained a VIN number that led investigators to arrest the ones involved.

Fate wasn't done with Donald yet. He entered into the South Tower on 9/11 and nearly died after being buried under the rubble during the collapse of the tower. He still suffers from the events of that day.

Donalds career in law enforcement had him in many roles. He was personal bodyguard for U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim. He worked many cases with the Bomb Squad including the Abortion Bomber Case, the investigation of TWA Flight 800, and was also involved with global intelligence missions. In addition, he provided protection for Makhail Gorbachev and Fidel Castro. Rendered Safe brings us in close to the interesting and dangerous world of being a bomb technician and gives us a background, or a backstage look of what happens during these fateful world events. It tells of how all of these crimes of humanity changed us, and how it changed the life of Donald Sadowy forever.

I decided to read Rendered Safe because of my background in public safety and my studies of the Criminal Justice System. I have the highest regard for the people who serve us as law enforcement officers and I'm especially grateful for the firefighters, law enforcement and others who gave their lives and risked their lives on and after 9/11. Donald Sadowy and this story that was told by Jeff Ingber should never be forgotten. The interviews and the knowledge that are contained within this book are gold to those of us who want to better understand what happened thirty years ago. Rendered Safe was very well written and the author should be applauded for making it available to us.

I loved this book!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of GoodReads' First Reads program.

This book follows the life of Donald Sadowy beginning with his childhood, through his enlistment in the Marine Corps, his work as in security in the UN, his work in the NYPD to joining the bomb squad. He seems to have been involved in many of the most famous cases in NYC involving bombings, including the first World Trade Center bombing. Later as a security consultant, he was present during the second WTC bombing (911). A very interesting life, filled with service to his community and country. I enjoyed this book tremendously, and would recommend it highly.

[Gary F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really blown away by how fascinating this book was and how well written. It tells the story of an unsung hero and every day man who the world needs more of. I particularly love the footnotes as clicking on them opens up fascinating additional stories that tie into the main story. I have never before seen such interesting footnotes that became a must read as well. Overall I recommend this book very highly

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from goodreads giveaway.did not realize was an e book format I haven't used my device in a long time so it took me awhile to read..i must say was an interesting read just not my regular read. Gonna lens it to mt brother in law who is Philadelphia PD and ibam gonna to reread it again will give another review too

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read