Joseph M. Weth Jr.

Portsmouth Police Department — Portsmouth, VA

Veteran → Veteran → Accident

End of Watch May 28, 1982

Age 35

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

The Vigil Panel 125 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 9

Incident

Patrolman Joseph Weth and four city officials were killed when the Beechcraft Travel Air airplane he was piloting crashed into a house in Columbia, Maryland, while he was attempting to land at Baltimore-Washington International Airport at about 11:00 am. The city officials were traveling to Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss waterfront restoration projects. The crash occurred approximatley eight miles shy of the runway during a period of rain and fog. Patrolman Weth had served with the Portsmouth Police Department for 15 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-VA-88CB47DD
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 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 Weth gave the Portsmouth Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Portsmouth 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

Department Portsmouth Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Portsmouth, VA

Platform Identity ppd.portsmouth.va.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 28, 1982

Tour of Duty 15 yrs

Age 35

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Joseph M. Weth Jr. served in the U.S. Navy (1965â1967) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Joseph M. Weth Jr. is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In VA, 204 of 655 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 31.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Portsmouth Police Department, 3 of 10 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this agency's fallen.

Portsmouth Police Department

of 10 officers

30% Accident

VA — Statewide

204

of 655 officers

31.1% Accident

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Accident