Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Matthew Tarentino was killed in a vehicle crash while en route to make a presentation at a local church.
Another vehicle crossed the median and struck his patrol car head-on on I-78, near Liberty Corner Road.
Detective Tarentino had served in law enforcement for 6-1/2 years. He had previously served with the South Bound Brook Police Department and Rutgers University Police Department. He was survived by his expectant wife and two sons. His daughter was born after his death.
Survivors
He was survived by his expectant wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NJ-F142623F- 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.
Detective Tarentino gave the Summit Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Summit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Tarentino.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Matthew Lawrence Tarentino 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Matthew Lawrence Tarentino's cause is highlighted.
How Matthew Lawrence Tarentino Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Matthew Lawrence Tarentino is highlighted in May.