‘Bartlett’s Superman’: 10 weeks after near-fatal cardiac event, sergeant is back on the job

The night of March 16 was like any other for Bartlett police Sgt. Chris Johnson. Right until the chest pains started.

“It was almost like a muscle cramp, but I just couldn’t shake it,” Johnson told us.

Hoping for some relief, he got out of bed and headed to the kitchen for some ice. That’s when he collapsed.

The Carol Stream Fire Department rushed him to Central DuPage Hospital, where an observant doctor knew something was seriously wrong, even after an initial scan indicated otherwise. The doctor ordered a second scan, which revealed Johnson had suffered a tear in his aorta, the body’s largest artery, which delivers blood directly from the heart.

Johnson, 42, was lucky just to have gotten that far. About half of the aortic dissections suffered at home are fatal. And had his tear been a mere two millimeters larger — about the width of a new crayon’s tip — he wouldn’t have survived.

But the tear was just the start of Johnson’s ordeal. He was airlifted from Central DuPage to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where he underwent six hours of open-heart surgery.

In the hours that followed, he suffered two pulmonary embolisms, two strokes and blood clots in both legs. He was shocked three times — while conscious — with a defibrillator.

“We carry Tasers (as police), and I’d rather be tased,” he said.

Johnson survived it all — including a later bout with pneumonia — while spending the next 10 days in the hospital’s intensive care unit. He then moved to a recovery room and later began outpatient therapy at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, where, among other, tasks, he had to re-learn how to use his right arm.

But by then, Johnson was past thinking about just staying alive. He wanted back on the job.

“I had to get back to doing what I loved to do,” he said.

‘Fight through it’

Law enforcement is in Johnson’s blood. The Glen Ellyn native’s father was an auxiliary officer for the Wheaton Police Department and his grandfather was a Detroit police officer.

His 24-year career started with an internship with the West Chicago Police Department, followed by a stint there as a community service officer.

After West Chicago, Johnson spent 10 years with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office and two with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, before landing with the Bartlett Police Department eight years ago.

His deep ties in the suburban law enforcement world were evident after his emergency when police across the suburbs rallied around him and his colleagues in Bartlett.

“He’s really well known in the public service community and it showed,” said Bartlett Deputy Police Chief William Naydenoff.

That outpouring of support helped motivate him on his road to recovery, Johnson said. So did knowing that his kids were watching.

“I wanted them to see that their dad could go through something hard, and when that happens, you have to fight through it,” he said.

As he rebuilt his strength — walking became jogging became running — Johnson’s doctors cleared him to go back to work after Memorial Day, albeit on light duty for now.

His return after just 10 weeks has marveled his peers.

“His strength and determination to not only survive what he went through, but to be back at work, is a testament to his perseverance,” Naydenoff said. “It’s an incredible story. He’s Bartlett’s Superman.”

Going forward

Johnson told us he hopes to not only fully resume his career, but spread awareness about the condition that nearly killed him.

The type A aortic dissection he suffered is described by the Mayo Clinic as a tear in the inner layer of the body's main artery. Blood rushes through the tear, causing the inner and middle layers of the aorta to split. As it worsens, blood can seep outside the aortic wall, leading to death.

The condition occurs in about 3 out of every 100,000 people a year and is treatable with early detection. But it kills about 13,000 Americans a year and taken the lives of notable people, including Lucille Ball, John Ritter and Alan Thicke.

Its primary cause, as was the case for Johnson, is high blood pressure.

“This has taught me a lot about self-awareness and the importance of taking care of yourself,” he said. “Now I’ve got a second chance at life.”

One more thing

An online GoFundMe fundraiser is ongoing to assist Johnson’s family through the financial burdens created by his medical event. So far, it’s raised $41,840 of a $50,000 goal. Check it out at gofundme.com/f/support-chris-johnsons-road-to-recovery.

Found money?

It’s not exactly like finding a $5 bill in your jeans pocket when doing the laundry, but still — the DuPage County Metropolitan Enforcement Group is asking a judge to let it have $18,000 seized drug case 35 years ago and then apparently forgotten.

The cash was taken on March 12, 1990, when agents arrested Darrell Humphries during an undercover cocaine buy in Oakbrook Terrace. But the money was not included in a search warrant, making it subject to the Law Enforcement Disposition of Property Act — the law that governs what police can do with lost, abandoned or stolen property.

Humphries was convicted in 1992 of illegal possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. DuMEG retained custody of the money and apparently forgot about it until last year.

The petition says there is no record of any judicial order indicating what to do with the money. It says DuMEG filled out and submitted a forfeiture form way back then, but there is no longer a record of that.

Humphries died in 2013. DuMEG reached out to his son in 2024 by phone, and by a certified letter in January 2025, but has not heard back.

A petition filed this month asks a judge to let DuMEG use the money any way it sees fit.

A welcome woof

Speaking of Geneva, its police department has added a comfort dog to its staff. Tommy, a golden Labrador retriever, took the oath of office at Monday night’s city council meeting.

His job is to provide a calming presence and emotional support to those in need. Tommy’s already done so, helping a 5-year-old girl calm down at the scene of a car crash, Community Services Officer Brad Koontz said.

Tommy will attend local events, participate in employee wellness events and visit schools. The public can also request a visit.

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