Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Cornelius Regan passed away after contracting spinal meningitis after rescuing a drowning man from the Charles River early on Christmas morning.
He was on patrol near the old Charlestown Bridge at 2:15 am when he heard a man shouting. He ran to the center of the bridge, where he observed a man struggling in the icy river 20 feet below.
After taking off his belt, Patrolman Regan climbed down a bridge pylon to the water. He was able to pull the man to the bridge using his belt, at which point he discovered the man was too drunk to assist himself in any way. Despite getting soaked with the ice-cold water, Patrolman Regan was able to secure a boat which brought them both to shore.
Patrolman Regan began feeling ill the following day. His condition worsened and it was determined that he contracted spinal meningitis as a result of his exposure to the cold. He passed away on January 13th, 1898.
Patrolman Regan had served with the Boston Police Department for four years in Division 13, Headquarters, Division 5, and was assigned to Division 1 when he passed.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and five children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-17C93292- 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.
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Tributes
128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman Regan gave the Boston Police Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Roxbury Crossing community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Cornelius F. Regan is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MA, 59 of 469 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 12.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At Boston Police Department, 22 of 106 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 20.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Cornelius F. Regan's cause is highlighted.
How Cornelius F. Regan Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Cornelius F. Regan is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
105 officers from Boston Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
