Watch 2nd NJ Cop Injured in Shootout with Bombing Suspect Leave Hospital
The 2nd injured officer was released Tuesday, greeted by cheering crowd.
— -- The second of the two New Jersey police officers injured in a shootout with suspect in New York and New Jersey bombings was released from the hospital late this morning.
The Linden Police Department posted video of a Linden officer, Peter Hammer, whom the department called "our hero," greeted by an applauding crowd of fellow officers as he was wheeled out of University Hospital in Newark.
Hammer spent the night in the hospital for observation after a bullet grazed his head in the shootout, the police department said.
The other injured Linden officer, Angel Padilla, called by the department "our second hero," was released from the hospital Monday after he was shot in his bulletproof vest, the police said.
"We thank all the well-wishers who have called and emailed us praying for our officers," the department said.
"I am very proud of the officers," Linden Police Chief Jonathan Parham told ABC News' Amy Robach. "They did an amazing job. It's something that we continually train for. However, no matter how much training you do, you're never really sure how you're going to respond. These officers did a fantastic job. Thank God they're alive."
Parham said he's also thankful his officers had their bulletproof vests, adding that they had discussed that very morning the importance of wearing them.
But, Parham added, it's impossible to fully prepare for such a situation.
"The amount of stress that these officers were under and the amount of time that it takes them to discern a situation and react ... there's no way to re-create that in training," he said.
Parham said he's "proud of the way the officers handled themselves" and how "they came together" during the Monday morning manhunt.
"We had officers dispatch themselves from home. We had officers from other agencies show up," he said. "I'm proud of law enforcement as a whole and how, when something happens, we just pull together to help each other."
The suspect, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was taken into custody and hospitalized Monday after firing at police in the tense confrontation in Linden, just hours after authorities issued an alert looking for him, the Union County acting prosecutor said.
Rahami, 28, has been "directly linked" to the devices that exploded in New York and New Jersey on Saturday, said Bill Sweeney, who heads the FBI’s New York office.
Rahami is facing charges including five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
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