Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman McDonnell died after being kicked in the head by his police horse.
Patrolman McDonnell was riding in a horse-drawn patrol wagon on Seventy-Second Street and East Drive in Central Park, Manhattan when the horse first began to kick and then tipped over the patrol wagon. Patrolman McDonnell was thrown to the ground near the horse and kicked in the head. The force of the kick fractured Patrolman McDonnell's skull, killing him.
Patrolman McDonnell had served with the New York Police Department for nine years and was assigned to the Elizabeth Street Station.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and five children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-EE4FB0D9- 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
129 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman McDonnell gave the New York Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Simon McDonnell 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. Simon McDonnell's cause is highlighted.
How Simon McDonnell Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Simon McDonnell is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1,236 officers from New York City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
