Incident
Patrolman Donnelly was killed in a motorcycle accident while pursuing a speeding motorist. He was thrown from his motorcycle after it hit a slick road spot at Ventnor and Evergreen Avenues in Longport. Patrolman Donnelly had been with the Margate City Police Department for one and a half years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four-month-old son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-22DA3505- 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
You barely got started.
Patrolman Donnelly gave the Margate City Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Margate City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Donnelly.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John J. Donnelly 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 Margate City Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John J. Donnelly's cause is highlighted.
How John J. Donnelly Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John J. Donnelly is highlighted in Nov.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Margate City Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
