Roll of Honor
Incident
Private John Ditkosky was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer while conducting a traffic stop on U.S. Route 22, near Harrisburg, at 11:35 p.m. The driver of the tractor-trailer veered off the roadway, struck his patrol car, causing it to collide with the stopped vehicle and injure Private Ditkosky. A rookie private who was with Private Ditkosky and the driver of the stopped vehicle suffered minor injuries. The driver of the tractor-trailer had driven from Bedford, Pennsylvania, to Brooklyn, New York., and was on a return trip back to Bedford when he fell asleep and struck Private Ditkosky. In September 1950, the driver pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 23 months in prison. Private Ditkosky was a United States Navy World War II veteran and had served with the Pennsylvania State Police for over three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife of three months, parents, two brothers, and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-3A5B86C6- 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
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.
Private Ditkosky gave the Pennsylvania State Police 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Pennsylvania, 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
John A. Ditkosky served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Private John A. Ditkosky 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 PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Pennsylvania State Police, 42 of 87 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 48.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John A. Ditkosky's cause is highlighted.
How John A. Ditkosky Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John A. Ditkosky is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
86 officers from Pennsylvania State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
