Roll of Honor
Manuel Zurita, VII
Incident
Investigator Manuel Zurita died on January 6th, 1998, from injuries he sustained in a boating accident on January 1st, 1998, while assisting the United States Secret Service with a presidential protection detail for President William Clinton. He and two other customs agents were securing the waters to assure a safe landing for Air Force One when their boat hit a coral reef outside of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Investigator Zurita was air-lifted with massive injuries to a hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he later died of his injuries. The two other agents were seriously injured in the accident. Investigator Zurita had served with the Customs Service for 12 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-D1D19591- 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.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Criminal Investigator Zurita gave the United States Department of the Treasury 12 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Criminal Investigator Zurita.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Criminal Investigator Manuel Zurita, VII 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 DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service - Office of Investigations, 3 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Manuel Zurita, VII's cause is highlighted.
How Manuel Zurita, VII Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Manuel Zurita, VII is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service - Office of Investigations are honored on badge.nw.
