Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Pilot Jay Cullen and Trooper Pilot Berke Bates were killed when their Bell 407 helicopter crashed into a wooded area in a residential neighborhood on Old Farm Road in Albemarle County, Virginia.
They were in the area to monitor civil unrest that was occurring in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a large protest. The helicopter had just taken off to monitor the Virginia governor's motorcade after he arrived in the area to assess the situation. The helicopter experienced some sort of issue before crashing into the trees and becoming engulfed in flames.
Trooper Bates and Lieutenant Cullen were killed in the crash.
Lieutenant Cullen had served with the Virginia State Police for 23 years and was assigned as the commander of the Aviation Unit.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-A27BA9AB- 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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Tributes
23 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Pilot Cullen gave the Virginia State Police 23 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Virginia. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Pilot Cullen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Pilot Henry John Cullen III is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In VA, 204 of 656 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 31.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Virginia State Police, 32 of 52 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 61.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry John Cullen III's cause is highlighted.
How Henry John Cullen III Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Henry John Cullen III is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
51 officers from Virginia State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
