Antonio Ellis was the First NJ Law Enforcement Officer to Contract COVID

In March 2020, people across the country and around the world were gripped by rising fears of a frightening and rapidly spreading disease called COVID-19. While the much of the world came to a screeching halt, and millions of Americans school and work days shifted to their homes, our nation’s first responders continued to serve and protect their communities.

Among them was Antonio Ellis, a police officer in Manchester Township, New Jersey. Officer Ellis was one of the first law enforcement officers in the state to contract the virus. As Ellis’s condition rapidly deteriorated, his wife urged him to go to the hospital, and he was placed in a medically induced coma on March 15. Over the next month, his illness and treatment took a roller-coaster ride, all while Ellis remained unconscious and separated from his family. As his condition worsened, he was transferred from his local hospital to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey.

After spending approximately 45 days in intensive care, including 30 days in a coma, Officer Ellis was transferred to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in May 2020. During the course of his illness, Ellis lost 45 pounds, suffered muscle atrophy, and went nearly 100 days without physical contact with his family. Following five weeks of inpatient care, including relearning everyday tasks like speaking, walking and brushing his teeth, Officer Ellis was transferred for out-patient care at Magee Riverfront Rehabilitation in South Philadelphia on Columbus Boulevard, not far from Pier 82, the current berth of the SS United States.

Throughout all the ups and downs of his recovery, Ellis remained steadfast in his personal mantra of “Hope to come back.”

From a young age Ellis had always been fascinated with ocean liners. This fascination was fueled in part through close association with the nautical world. As a boy, Ellis had been a Cadet at Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, New Jersey. Like so many, his interest in ocean liners grew when oceanographer Robert Ballard discovered the famed Titanic shipwreck in 1985. As an adult, his intrigue about America’s Flagship, the SS United States, grew each time he crossed the Walt Whitman Bridge.

For six weeks in 2020, as Officer Ellis traveled to Philadelphia daily for rehabilitation, he observed the SS United States sitting at her berth on the city’s waterfront. While these trips became a daily part of Ellis’ life, he was determined not to make them a defining part. “Part of my healing was fighting to regain my life and not letting my situation define me in a negative way,” Ellis said.

The SS United States became a touchstone and an inspiration.  Officer Ellis began researching the history of the ship and speaking at length with his family about the legendary liner. “Every day I looked forward to the first glimpse of the ship,” he said. “Each day, when left on Columbus Boulevard, I would stare at the ship until she was out of sight. She was my symbol of ‘Hope.’ Hope of returning to life, my family, and my career. This ship has become a part of my history.”

 Just over a year after he first got sick, Ellis’s family surprised him with a special birthday present - a Captain’s Quarter membership to be part of the SS United States Conservancy, complete with the opportunity to tour his beloved ocean liner.

Ellis, who has recovered and is back on the job, now looks at the SS United States with hope that the great ocean liner will receive a rebirth, just as he has. “My hope is that one day we will see the SS United States in a new life, educating the next generation on the greatness of engineering and accomplishment of William Francis Gibbs, and those that built the ship. It is my sincere belief that this ship must be saved to serve again in another form.”

This July, Ellis will get the opportunity to walk the decks of the SS United States, and he says he just can’t wait.  

As for his journey to recovery, Ellis wants others to know “COVID is still affecting people. While it’s better, it’s still there. Friends and family members and people across our nation are still getting sick. It’s important to encourage those who are fighting this deadly disease to take solace in the tasks they accomplish and hold out hope, because better days will come.”