Roll of Honor

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Police Officer

William H. Fordham, Jr.

Bergen County Police Department — Hackensack, NJ

Accident Veteran →

End of Watch September 6, 1985

Age 39

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

Badge 157

The Vigil Panel 130 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Officer William Fordham was killed in an automobile accident while on patrol on Route 17 South in Paramus. Officer Fordham was traveling south on Route 17 when a tractor-trailer pulled out in front of him. He was transported to Hackensack Medical Center, where he died approximately 3 hours later. Officer Fordham was a United States Navy Vietnam veteran and had served with the Bergen County Police Department for six years.

Survivors

He was survived by his mother, stepfather, brother, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NJ-6FCB29A0
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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Fordham gave the Bergen County Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Hackensack community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Bergen County Police Department

Location Hackensack, NJ

Platform Identity bcpd.bergen.nj.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 6, 1985

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

Age 39

Badge Number 157

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

William H. Fordham, Jr. served in the Navy (1966â1969) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer William H. Fordham, Jr. 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 NJ, 258 of 646 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.9% of this state's fallen. That is 8.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

Bergen County Police Department

of 1 officers

100% Accident

NJ — Statewide

258

of 646 officers

39.9% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William H. Fordham, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious

17,623 (54.2%)

Accident

10,088 (31%)

Illness

2,974 (9.1%)

Cardiac

1,306 (4%)

Undetermined

260 (0.8%)

Suicide

256 (0.8%)

vehicular

1 (0%)

How William H. Fordham, Jr. Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

Years of Service