Highway memorial for fallen N.J. trooper damaged by impaired driver

The man was found to be driving under the influence when he struck a memorial honoring Trooper Thomas J. Hanratty, who was fatally struck by a vehicle on April 2, 1992

September 09, 2024 02:10 PM

Highway memorial for fallen N.J. trooper damaged by impaired driver, cops say — Hanratty, 24, was at the same spot, at milepost 46.8, when a car plowed into him. The trooper was walking back to his car after pulling over another vehicle when he was struck and killed.

By Eric Conklin
nj.com

UNION COUNTY, N.J. — A driver was under the influence when he crashed into a roadside monument honoring a New Jersey state trooper who died during a traffic stop in the early 1990s, according to police.

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A 38-year old man from Berkeley Heights crashed into the memorial on Interstate 78 in Union County around 2 p.m. Aug. 31, New Jersey State Police said. He was treated on scene by firefighters.

While investigating the crash, troopers found drugs inside the vehicle, police said. The driver was brought to a hospital, arrested and charged with driving under the influence, drug possession and being criminally under the influence.

The memorial was dedicated to mark the site where Trooper Thomas J. Hanratty died on April 2, 1992, in Summit.

Photos showed damage to a metal New Jersey State Police logo and a sign reading “4971 Gone but Never Forgotten.”

Hanratty, 24, was at the same spot, at milepost 46.8, when a car plowed into him. The trooper was walking back to his car after pulling over another vehicle when he was struck and killed.

Hanratty served just over three years as a state trooper at the time he died.

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DUI Line-of-Duty Death (LODD) Officer Down