Incident
Detective Philip LaMonica was shot and killed while attempting to arrest three notorious criminals who had escaped from the federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The three had also held up several banks and gun shops. Detective LaMonica and several other officers went to an apartment at 500 West 140th Street in Manhattan to arrest the suspects. When they arrived, shots were fired, and Detective LaMonica was shot twice. The second shot to hit him killed him instantly. The second shot was fired by another patrolman and hit Detective LaMonica after ricocheting off the weapon of one of the suspects. Detective LaMonica had served with the New York City Police Department for 14 years and was assigned to the 42nd Detective Squad.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-619A304B- 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 LaMonica gave the New York City Police Department 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective LaMonica.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Philip A. LaMonica 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. Philip A. LaMonica's cause is highlighted.
How Philip A. LaMonica Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Philip A. LaMonica is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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