James Groark

Westchester County Parkway Police Department — Hawthorne, NY

Cardiac Veteran

End of Watch August 22, 1966

Age 53

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

Badge 50

The Vigil Panel 101 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 11

Incident

Officer Groark died from a heart attack while handling a motor vehicle incident on the Bronx River Parkway near River Road at 1 p.m. He had pulled over a vehicle with a bad muffler and was inspecting the car when he suffered a heart attack, fell, and hit his head. The driver of the vehicle got on Officer Groark's police radio and called for help. Officer Groark was transported to White Plains Hospital a few miles away where he was pronounced dead shortly after. Officer Groark, a WWII U.S. Army veteran, served with the Westchester Parkway Police Department for 20 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two sons, and three daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NY-AFF31C2D
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.
Police Officer Groark gave the Westchester County Parkway Police Department 20 years.
Thank you for your service to the Hawthorne community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Westchester County Parkway Police Department

Location Hawthorne, NY

Platform Identity wcppd.westchester.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 22, 1966

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

Age 53

Badge Number 50

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

Military Service

James Groark served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Police Officer James Groark is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In NY, 99 of 2,147 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.6% of this state's fallen. That is 0.6 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.

At Westchester County Parkway Police Department, 2 of 12 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 16.7% of this agency's fallen.

Westchester County Parkway Police Department

of 12 officers

16.7% Cardiac

NY — Statewide

of 2,147 officers

4.6% Cardiac

Nationwide

1,306

of 32,508 officers

4% Cardiac