Incident
Patrolman Richard Fletcher succumbed to injuries when he fell 14 feet from a scaffolding over Palisades Avenue at the entrance to the new High Speed Highway approach to the Holland Tunnel.
He was assigned to a special detail to paint traffic markers over the highway when he fell and suffered a skull fracture. He died from his injuries on April 21st, 1929.
Patrolman Fletcher was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and had served with the Jersey City Police Department for eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three sons, parents, three brothers, a sister, and a half-sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-C7F73C70- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Richard. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
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 Fletcher gave the Jersey City Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Jersey City community. Thank you 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
Richard H. Fletcher, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman Richard H. Fletcher, Jr. 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 Jersey City Police Department, 21 of 41 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 51.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard H. Fletcher, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Richard H. Fletcher, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Richard H. Fletcher, Jr. is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
40 officers from Jersey City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.













