Roll of Honor

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Sergeant

Arthur McKenna

Union City Police Department — Union City, NJ

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch July 10, 1947

Age 53

Tour of Duty 21 yrs

The Vigil Panel 83 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 5

Incident

Sergeant Arthur McKenna was shot and killed with his own service weapon after being assaulted in an unprovoked attack.

He was on duty at approximately 2:00 am, eating breakfast at a local diner on 38th Street, when a man walked up behind him, grabbed his gun, and shot him twice in the back. Two nearby officers who heard the shots ran into the diner and arrested the man, who was later learned to be a self-proclaimed cop-hater.

Sergeant McKenna was taken to North Hudson Hospital, where he died a short time later.

The suspect, 22, was apprehended, convicted of murder, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was denied parole on June 13, 1958.

Sergeant McKenna was a United States World War I veteran and served with the Union City Police Department for 21 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NJ-6D4CC3C0
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: September 9, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Arthur is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sergeant McKenna gave the Union City Police Department 21 years.
Thank you for your service to the Union City community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Union City Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Union City, Hudson County, NJ

Platform Identity upd.hudson.nj.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 10, 1947

Tour of Duty 21 yrs

Age 53

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Officer's handgun

Military Service

Arthur McKenna served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Sergeant Arthur McKenna is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,784 officers honored here.

In NJ, 264 of 646 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 40.9% of this state's fallen. That is 40.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Union City Police Department, 4 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Union City Police Department

of 6 officers

66.7% Felonious

NJ — Statewide

264

of 646 officers

40.9% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,784 officers

0% Felonious