Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Clifton Dwyer was killed when his police motorcycle collided with a milk truck at the intersection of River Road and Tilden Street during a period of heavy fog in the early morning hours. Patrolman Dwyer's partner was seriously injured but survived. Patrolman Dwyer was working the night shift with probationary officer Michael Cancro, riding a motorcycle with a sidecar. At the end of their shift, early in the morning of March 14, 1926, they decided to go to Cedar Lane in Teaneck to get coffee at a coffee wagon. The snow on the ground was melting, causing fog early in the morning that day. As they drove on River Road they did not see a horse-drawn milk wagon, parked on the east side of River Road. Patrolman Dwyer swerved and hit a whiffle tree on the other side of the milk wagon. The milkman found Patrolman Dwyer lying injured in the snow and ran to a nearby home for help, finding Patrolman Cancro injured as well. The men were taken to Holy Name Hospital where Patrolman Dwyer died a couple of hours later. Patrolman Cancro survived but did not pursue a police career thereafter. He opened a restaurant and bar across from where the current police station is today in Teaneck. Patrolman Dwyer had only served with the agency for one year.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, 2-year-old son, brother, sister, and niece.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-A09B4E2E- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Clifton. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
You barely got started.
Patrolman Dwyer gave the Teaneck Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Teaneck community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Dwyer.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Clifton Dwyer is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NJ, 258 of 646 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.9% of this state's fallen. That is 8.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Teaneck Police Department, 2 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Clifton Dwyer's cause is highlighted.
How Clifton Dwyer Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Clifton Dwyer is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Teaneck Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
