Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Rudolph died as the result of a skull fracture he sustained the previous night with a truck. The driver of the truck was making a turn onto Pride Street from the Boulevard of the Allies when Patrolman Rudolph struck the back of the truck. He was rushed to Mercy Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the following morning. The driver of the truck was charged with reckless driving and lodged in the Central Police Station. On April 20, a coroners jury ruled the death of Patrolman Rudolph as accidental and exonerated the truck driver from any blame. Patrolman Rudolph served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for four and a half years and was attached to the Central Police Station, present-day Zone 2 Police Station Hill District.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, and five children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-7E212BC0- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Rudolph gave the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 4 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Rudolph.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John Joseph Rudolph 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 Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, 38 of 101 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Joseph Rudolph's cause is highlighted.
How John Joseph Rudolph Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Joseph Rudolph is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
100 officers from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
