Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Patrick Whalen was killed when a transformer exploded at the Proctor Theater at 53 S. Broadway in Yonkers. Officer Whalen had parked his motorcycle in front of a theater when an explosion came without warning and threw slabs of sidewalk into the air, creating a massive hole in the sidewalk. An electrical transformer had shorted and blew up, and A 10-year-old girl had fallen into the burning hole. Officer Whalen, running up the street, saw the child in the hole and immediately jumped in to rescue her. He handed the girl up to off-duty officers. A few seconds later, a second explosion occurred, virtually incinerating Officer Whalen, who was still in the hole. He died instantly. Officer Whalen had served with the Yonkers Police Department for 20 years. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, son, mother, and brother. In 1985, Fifty-one years later, Officer Whalen was posthumously awarded his agency's Medal of Honor. The award was presented to his great-nephew, who also served with the Yonkers Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three daughters, son, mother, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-DB26841A- 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
20 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Whalen gave the Yonkers Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Yonkers community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Whalen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Patrick F. Whalen 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 Yonkers Police Department, 11 of 20 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 55% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Patrick F. Whalen's cause is highlighted.
How Patrick F. Whalen Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Patrick F. Whalen is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
19 officers from Yonkers Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
