Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Thornhill was killed when his police morotcycle collided with another vehicle while in pursuit of a traffic violator.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-A40D029E- 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.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew William. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief Thornhill served with the Suffern Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Suffern community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief Thornhill.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief William J. Thornhill 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William J. Thornhill's cause is highlighted.
How William J. Thornhill Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William J. Thornhill is highlighted in Jun.