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Shawn Carson
Agency patch
Police Officer

Shawn Carson

Jersey City Police Department — Jersey City, NJ
Accident
United States flag New Jersey flag
End of Watch December 25, 2005
Age 40
Tour of Duty 16 yrs
The Vigil Panel 154 ›
Gender Male
Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 40

Incident

Police Officer Shawn Carson and Police Officer Robert Nguyen were killed when their patrol truck drove off of the Hackensack River Bridge and plunged 45-feet into the Hackensack River during a period of heavy fog at 8:20 pm.

The officers had driven across the lift-bridge to place flares on the Newark side to warn drivers about a problem with the bridge's operations. As they set the flares, the bridge operator opened the span to allow a tugboat to pass underneath. The bridge's safety bar and warning lights, which had not been functional for two days, failed to activate when the span opened.

As the officers returned to the Jersey City side of the bridge, their vehicle drove off of the open portion of the span and fell to the river below, killing both officers.

Officer Carson was pulled from the water two hours after the incident and taken to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officer Nguyen's body was recovered on December 29th, 2005, by members of the New York City Police Department's Dive Unit. His body was snagged under concrete pilings in 50 feet of water some 90 feet from where the truck went into the river.

Officer Carson had served with the Jersey City Police Department for 16 years.

In Our Keeping

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August 2, 2026
Last updated
September 9, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Carson gave the Jersey City Police Department 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the Jersey City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Carson.

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

Agency

Department Jersey City Police Department
Type Police Department
Location Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ
Platform Identity jpd.hudson.nj.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 25, 2005
Tour of Duty 16 yrs
Age 40
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

Shawn is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  3. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 2005, 71 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 44th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Shawn was 40. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Shawn had served 16 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

December holds 8.9% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Sundays: 14%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Jersey City Police Department has 41 officers remembered here, Shawn among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Shawn Carson

Jersey City Police Department · End of Watch December 25, 2005

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 49-W

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