Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Wilding succumbed to injuries sustained the previous night at approximately 3:20 am while pursuing three juveniles who had stolen a vehicle.
The juveniles bailed out of the vehicle in the area of the 300 block of North Main Avenue with several officers, including Patrolman Wilding, chasing them on foot. Patrolman Wilding jumped over a small wall behind a restaurant at 301 North Main Avenue, not realizing that there was a 15-foot drop on the other side. He suffered a serious head injury as a result of the fall.
He was transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where he remained until succumbing to his injuries early the next morning.
All three juveniles were arrested and charged as adults with robbery, terroristic threats, and recklessly endangering another person. Additional charges were filed against all three defendants in 2017 while they were still in custody. They pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and were sentenced to 9-18 years in prison. One of the juveniles was granted parole in 2025.
Patrolman Wilding had served with the Scranton Police Department for one year.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-CC1058C8- 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 Wilding gave the Scranton Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Scranton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Wilding.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John James Wilding 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 Scranton Police Department, 4 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 36.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John James Wilding's cause is highlighted.
How John James Wilding Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 9-18 years
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John James Wilding is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Scranton Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
