Thomas Meagher
Agency patch
Patrolman

Thomas Meagher

Accident
End of Watch April 27, 1899
Age 38
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
The Vigil Panel 15 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Meagher died of injuries he received a week earlier when he was struck by a car.

Patrolman Meagher was stationed at Chambers Street and Broadway in Manhattan. He had just assisted two women across Broadway when he was caught between north and south-bound traffic. The corner of a southbound car struck him on the right arm, causing Patrolman Meagher to fall where he was almost run over.

A citizen assisted the officer up, and he walked to the Hudson Street Hospital, where it was discovered that his arm was broken in two places, between the shoulder and elbow. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Patrolman Meagher died seven days later from complications arising from the injuries.

Patrolman Meagher is the first law enforcement officer to die as a result of being struck by an automobile.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-0A1B6E74
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
September 9, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

127 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman Meagher gave the New York City Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location New York, NY
Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 27, 1899
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Cause Detail Struck by vehicle

Patrolman Thomas Meagher is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In NY, 645 of 2,147 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 30 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At New York City Police Department, 283 of 1237 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 22.9% of this agency's fallen.

New York City Police Department
283
of 1,237 officers
22.9% Accident
NY — Statewide
645
of 2,147 officers
30% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Meagher's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Thomas Meagher Compares

Age at Death
38
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
8
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Meagher is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location