Alan R. Pugnet, a former New Jersey State Trooper who was a bodyguard to Governors Thomas Kean and Jim Florio during his assignment to the Executive Protection Unit, died on January 18. He was 75.
A Belleville native, Pugnet joined the New Jersey State Police in 1970, patrolling the Garden State Parkway and working in the budget office before his assignment to the EPU. He worked on establishing the state’s 911 system, implementing Megan’s Law, and was part of the cleanup effort at the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
He spent two decades in the New Jersey National Guard and was the bodyguard for a two-star Army General during Operation Desert Storm.
After his retirement in 2002, Pugnet volunteered at the Franklin Township Animal Shelter and the Franklin Food Bank.
Predeceased by his first wife, Lydia, in 2007. He is survived by his wife, Cindy, his children and grandchildren.