Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Rhatigan succumbed to injuries sustained two days earlier when he was thrown from his horse while patrolling Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn.
He suffered a skull fracture when he was thrown against a tree at the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Webster Avenue. He was taken to Kings County Hospital where he remained until succumbing to his injuries.
The horse he was riding was considered a "bad" horse and had previously thrown and injured two other officers. One week after Patrolman Rhatigan's death the horse dragged a police lieutenant for one mile, causing severe injuries.
Patrolman Rhatigan was a U.S. Army veteran and one of the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War. He had served with the NYPD for four years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-0CE463C7- 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.
Patrolman Rhatigan gave the New York City Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
John J. Rhatigan served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman John J. Rhatigan 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 NY, 645 of 2,147 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At New York City Police Department, 283 of 1237 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 22.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John J. Rhatigan's cause is highlighted.
How John J. Rhatigan Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John J. Rhatigan is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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