Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Jon Birchem was killed in an automobile crash while chasing two speeding cars in Wood County. He lost control of his vehicle on the icy road surface of the Ohio Turnpike and struck a bridge pillar at the Route 795 overpass. The speeders were never apprehended. Patrolman Birchem had served with the Ohio State Highway for one year, assigned to the Swanton Post.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, mother, father, and grandmother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-4A8EA386- 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
You barely got started.
Patrolman Birchem gave the Ohio State Highway Patrol 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of Ohio. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Birchem.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Jon D. Birchem 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 OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Ohio State Highway Patrol, 33 of 42 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 78.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jon D. Birchem's cause is highlighted.
How Jon D. Birchem Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Jon D. Birchem is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
41 officers from Ohio State Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
