Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Fassnacht drowned while he and two other divers were clearing an intake screen in Weequahic Park Lake.
Survivors
Sergeant Fassnacht was survived by his wife and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-3176149C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Fassnacht gave the Essex County Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Newark community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Fassnacht.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant James Ralph Fassnacht is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 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 39.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Essex County Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Ralph Fassnacht's cause is highlighted.
How James Ralph Fassnacht Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Ralph Fassnacht is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Essex County Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
