Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Wilson McLaurin suffered a fatal heart attack while assisting with the arrest of a subject on the former grounds of Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains.
The man had led officers from the Morris Plains Police Department on a vehicle pursuit after they tried to stop him for a traffic violation. The man fled onto the hospital grounds where the vehicle stopped near a staff housing unit.
Officer McLaurin and another hospital police officer came to the assistance of the local police and struggled with the subject before handcuffing him and placing him into a patrol car. Officer McLaurin collapsed two minutes later. He was transported to Morristown Memorial Hospital where he died a short time later.
The subject was charged with several traffic citations and assault and battery.
Officer McLaurin had served with the New Jersey Department of Institutions and Agencies for 25 years and was assigned to Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-55CEF033- 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
25 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer McLaurin gave the New Jersey Department of Institutions and Agencies Police 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Trenton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer McLaurin.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Wilson McLaurin served in the the United States military (1942â1945) before joining law enforcement.
Police Officer Wilson McLaurin is one of 1 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In NJ, 38 of 646 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 5.9% of this state's fallen. That is 5.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Wilson McLaurin's cause is highlighted.
How Wilson McLaurin Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Wilson McLaurin is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Military Service
Wilson McLaurin served in the United States military (1942–1945) before joining law enforcement.
Visit Wilson McLaurin’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from New Jersey Department of Institutions and Agencies Police are honored on badge.nw.