Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Edward O'Grady and Police Officer Waverly Brown were shot and killed by heavily armed members of a domestic terrorist group, the Weather Underground, who had just robbed a bank and were attempting to escape. The suspects had just murdered an armored car guard and wounded two other guards before loading themselves into the back of a rental truck to be driven away by accomplices. The truck was stopped at a roadblock manned by several Nyack officers on Route 59 just west of the New York Thruway. One of the female occupants in the cab of the truck told the officers their guns were making her nervous. Thinking they had stopped the wrong truck, the officers began to holster their weapons. Almost immediately afterward, several of the heavily armed men exited the back of the truck and opened fire with automatic weapons, fatally wounding Officer Brown and Sergeant O'Grady. The suspects fled the scene in different directions, but seven men and three women were eventually apprehended and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. One of the women was paroled in August 2003. Another woman was released on July 15, 2010, and died of cancer one month later. One of the men died in prison on December 13, 1986. The third female offender was granted parole in April 2019. A suspect convicted of killing Police Officer John G. Scarangella of the New York City Police Department was a prime suspect in the murders of Sergeant O'Grady and Officer Brown. When he was arrested for the murder of Officer Scarangella, he was in possession of a gun linked to the murders of Sergeant O'Grady and Officer Brown. That suspect was never charged in these murders. The Weather Underground was also connected to the Black Liberation Army, which was responsible for the murders of at least one dozen other police officers throughout the country. The Weather Underground is believed to be responsible for the unsolved bombing murder of San Francisco, California, Police Department Sergeant Brian McDonnell on Februa
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- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
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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 O'Grady gave the Nyack Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Nyack 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Edward J. O'Grady Jr. served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Sergeant Edward J. O'Grady Jr. 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 97,759 officers honored here.
In NY, 728 of 2,147 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.9% of this state's fallen. That is 33.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Nyack Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Edward J. O'Grady Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Edward J. O'Grady Jr. Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Edward J. O'Grady Jr. is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Edward J. O'Grady Jr. was killed by rifle.
Incident Location
Military Service
Edward J. O'Grady Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Visit Edward J. O'Grady Jr.’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Nyack Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
