Brian J. Murray
Agency patch
Police Officer

Brian J. Murray

Felonious
End of Watch September 11, 1976
Age 27
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Badge 13639
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Brian Murray was killed when a terrorist bomb he was trying to deactivate exploded. Terrorists attempting to win Croatian independence planted a bomb in a locker at Grand Central Station in Manhattan. The terrorists then hijacked a TWA flight. While en route to Europe, the terrorists transmitted their demands. The terrorists threatened to blow up the airplane with bombs, and to strengthen the impression that they had real bombs on the airplane, they told officials where they could find a bomb at Grand Central Station. Officers from the Bomb Squad were sent to investigate, and they removed a bomb from a locker at the station. They then removed the bomb to the department range at Rodman's Neck in the Bronx, where Officer Murray, along with three other officers, attempted to defuse the bomb by remote control. When they were unsuccessful in defusing the bomb by remote, they approached it. During their approach, the bomb exploded, killing Officer Murray and seriously injuring the other three officers. The five Croatian terrorists were arrested when the airplane they hijacked landed in Paris, France. All five suspects were returned to the United States, where the United States Government charged them with Air Piracy and by New York State with murder. All five suspects were convicted of air piracy, and in addition, two were convicted of murder. The two suspects convicted of murder were sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence was reduced in 1980. One suspect was paroled in 1989. The second was paroled in 2008 and then deported. Croatian terrorists were responsible for several bombings in the late 1970s and early 1980s that resulted in the injury of many civilians and police officers. Officer Murray had served with the New York City Police Department for six years. He is survived by his wife and two children. On October 1, 2014, Charles Street in Lower Manhattan was renamed Police Officer Brian Murray Way in his honor.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Murray gave the New York City Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Murray.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location New York, NY
Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 11, 1976
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 27
Badge Number 13639
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Explosives

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Brian is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1976, 137 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 30th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Brian was 27. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Brian had served 6 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

September holds 9.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Saturdays: 16.3%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was explosives, in 0.3% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

New York City Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Brian among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Brian J. Murray

New York City Police Department · End of Watch September 11, 1976

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 18-W

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