John F. McGann
Agency patch
Police Officer

John F. McGann

Elizabeth Police Department — Elizabeth, NJ
Felonious
End of Watch December 15, 1930
Age 33
The Vigil Panel 61 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer John McGann was shot and killed by the owner of a speakeasy that he was raiding at the intersection of Broad Street and West Grand Street. The man fled to Santa Rosa, California, where he was eventually arrested on July 30th, 1931. He was extradited back to New Jersey where he was convicted of Officer McGann's murder and sentenced to death. He was subsequently executed on July 20th, 1932.

Survivors

Officer McGann was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-7E62B3E3
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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer McGann served with the Elizabeth Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Elizabeth community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer McGann.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Elizabeth, Union County, NJ
Platform Identity epd.union.nj.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 15, 1930
Age 33
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Police Officer John F. McGann 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 97,772 officers honored here.

In NJ, 229 of 646 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 35.4% of this state's fallen. That is 35.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Elizabeth Police Department, 4 of 10 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.

Elizabeth Police Department
4
of 10 officers
40% Felonious
NJ — Statewide
229
of 646 officers
35.4% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John F. McGann's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How John F. McGann Compares

Age at Death
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John F. McGann is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John F. McGann was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location