Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Lester Pagano was killed in an automobile crash on I-80 and Main Street in Wharton. Lieutenant Pagano was assigned to a detail investigating the murder of Trooper Philip Lamonaco, who was shot and killed on December 21, 1981. He was returning from following up on leads when his vehicle slid on the rain-slick road and crashed through a guardrail. Lieutenant Pagano was shot in the spine in the line of duty while apprehending a murder suspect in 1959. Lieutenant Pagano had served with the New Jersey State Police for over 30 years. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and three sons. His two brothers also served with the New Jersey State Police, with one serving as the Superintendent.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-ADDA26F4- 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
30 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Pagano gave the New Jersey State Police 30 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of New Jersey. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Pagano.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Lester Amos Pagano 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%.
At New Jersey State Police, 53 of 84 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 63.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Lester Amos Pagano's cause is highlighted.
How Lester Amos Pagano Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Lester Amos Pagano is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
83 officers from New Jersey State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
