Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Jose Diaz was killed after falling from a highway overpass, on I-95 near the interchange with I-595, while assisting other officers perform a felony traffic stop of a suspected police impersonator.
Because of the darkness, the area between the two highways appeared to have a solid surface. Patrolman Diaz attempted to take cover on the other side of the overpass barrier and jumped over it. He fell and landed on the ground, approximately 110-feet below. He was transported to Broward General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
The driver of the vehicle that had been pulled over was a private investigator and, upon investigation, was determined to have not committed any crime.
Patrolman Diaz had served with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department for 2-1/2 years and had previously served with the New York City Police Department for 14 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-DB81AA7F- 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.
Patrolman Diaz gave the Fort Lauderdale Police Department 16 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Lauderdale community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Diaz.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Jose Antonio Diaz 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 FL, 313 of 1,008 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Fort Lauderdale Police Dept., 9 of 13 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 69.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jose Antonio Diaz's cause is highlighted.
How Jose Antonio Diaz Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Jose Antonio Diaz is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
12 officers from Fort Lauderdale Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
