Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Salo succumbed to injuries sustained earlier in the night when he was struck in the head by a baseball while on duty at Third Ward Park. He was attempting to hold a crowd back when he was struck in the head by the ball. He refused medical treatment after being hit and continued his duties of crowd control and directing traffic until he collapsed. He was taken to St. Mary's Hospital where he died of his injuries. Patrolman Salo was a Merchant Marines veteran of WWI. He was also a local track legend and had won a trans-continental race from New York City to Los Angeles.
Survivors
He had served with the Passaic Police Department for three years and was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-206EC747- 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.
Patrolman Salo gave the Passaic Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Passaic community, 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 Salo served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman John Salo 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 Passaic Police Department, 3 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Salo's cause is highlighted.
How John Salo Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Salo is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Passaic Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
