Marcus Thomas

Newark Police Division — Newark, NJ

COVID-19 → Illness

End of Watch September 28, 2020

Age 50

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

The Vigil Panel 383 · Column 2 · Line 3 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 57

Incident

Detective Marcus Thomas died as the result of complications after contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.

Detective Thomas had served with the Newark Police Department for 27 years.

Beginning in early 2020, thousands of law enforcement officers and other first responders throughout the country began to contract COVID-19 during the worldwide pandemic. Due to the nature of their job, law enforcement officers were required to work and interact with the community even as the majority of the country was self-quarantined. As a result, hundreds of officers died from COVID-related illnesses and other complications.

Visit ODMP's COVID-19 memorial listing every officer who has died as a result of a confirmed or presumed exposure.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Detective Marcus Thomas died on September 28, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 50.

He is one of 885 officers honored here, and one of 8 at Newark Police Division.

Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.

Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at requiem.nw. One record, 2 gates. Marcus is one person.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Detective Thomas gave the Newark Police Division 27 years.
Thank you for your service to the Newark community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Thomas.

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

Agency

Department Newark Police Division

Type Police Department

Location Newark, Essex County, NJ

Platform Identity npd.essex.nj.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 28, 2020

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

Age 50

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

The Sacrifice · Illness

Marcus is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.

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

Compare against

Time

In 2020, 346 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 2nd heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Marcus was 50. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Marcus had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.