Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Patrick King was shot and killed by a wanted murderer who had been arrested by the same agency two weeks earlier under an alias. Sergeant King was on his meal break and had just ordered food at a local restaurant. Unknown to Sergeant King, the suspect had called 911 twice in the preceding few minutes in an attempt to lure a police officer to the area. The suspect was wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a murder he had committed in Massachusetts in 1996. After learning that the FBI was searching for him, the suspect vowed that he would not go to prison and decided to kill as many police officers as he could before killing himself. As Sergeant King was standing at the counter of the restaurant waiting for his order, the suspect walked up behind him and shot him in the back of the head twice with a .38 caliber handgun. The suspect then took Sergeant King's service weapon and stole his patrol car. He then used the patrol car's radio to taunt other officers. The suspect then car-jacked two separate cars and led New Jersey State Police and other Long Branch police officers on a 50-mile high speed chase that ended on the George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York City, New York. After crashing his vehicle on the bridge the man engaged other officers in a gunfight before committing suicide with Sergeant King's weapon. A police officer from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department was accidentally shot and wounded by a New Jersey State Police trooper during the shootout on the bridge. Sergeant King had served with the Long Branch Police Department for 22 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-6172B3E0- 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
22 years. You could have gone home.
Detective Sergeant King gave the Long Branch Police Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Long Branch community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Sergeant King.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Sergeant Patrick A. King 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 Long Branch Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Patrick A. King's cause is highlighted.
How Patrick A. King Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Patrick A. King is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Patrick A. King was killed by handgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Long Branch Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
