Fallen Detective's Memory Lives On Via 'Miracle' of Heart Transplant

A Jefferson woman who lost her detective husband in a tragic shooting has been able to achieve some solace in the fact that his death has given a war hero a new lease on life.

Mary DiNardo of Jefferson met this week with Purple Heart recipient Don Zolkiwsky, 70, who received the donated heart of former Jersey City Detective Mark DiNardo.

The detective, a father of three, was gunned down when his SWAT team was making an arrest in Jersey City in 2009. 

The NJ Sharing Network of New Providence facilitated the transplant, which Mary DiNardo told CBS News is a "miracle.

"Because Marc's still living. You know, a piece of him is living inside this man," she said.

Zolkiwsky said he "can't stop thinking" about Mark DiNardo, despite never meeting him.

"He is like a buddy through the service," said Zolkiwsky, who served in Vietnam. "It's a bond, it's a friendship that I can't describe how the feeling is, but it's an intense one."

Mary DiNardo and Zolkiwsky's met at the NJ Sharing Network headquarters on Central Avenue and thanked both "for allowing us all to be part of this beautiful moment in your lives."