Roll of Honor
Incident
Marshal John Vapenik was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle as he patrolled Libby Road for whiskey runners.
As he rounded a curve on the road, his motorcycle was struck from behind by a car that was following him. He was thrown from the motorcycle and suffered a broken neck.
The driver of the vehicle that struck him was charged with manslaughter.
Marshal Vapenik had served with the Maple Heights Police Department for seven years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and eight children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-4B07F01D- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Marshal Vapenik gave the Maple Heights Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cleveland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Marshal Vapenik.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Marshal John Vapenik 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Vapenik's cause is highlighted.
How John Vapenik Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Vapenik is highlighted in Aug.