Matthew Arnold Seckinger
Agency patch
Lieutenant

Matthew Arnold Seckinger

Accident Veteran
End of Watch April 10, 1968
Age 59
Tour of Duty 26 yrs
The Vigil Panel 103 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Lieutenant Matthew Seckinger was killed in a vehicle crash shortly before midnight on Route 322, one mile north of the borough line, while investigating two hitchhikers.

He was en route home at the completion of his shift when he observed the two men on the side of the road. He pulled over to investigate and as he backed his vehicle into a service station his vehicle was struck by a second car.

He succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a local hospital.

Lieutenant Seckinger was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII and had served with the State College Borough Police Department for 26 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, daughter, brother, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-04BC20A9
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.
Lieutenant Seckinger gave the State College Borough Police Department 26 years.
Thank you for your service to the State College community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Location State College, PA
Platform Identity scbpd.centre.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 10, 1968
Tour of Duty 26 yrs
Age 59
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Matthew Arnold Seckinger served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Lieutenant Matthew Arnold Seckinger 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 PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

State College Borough Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
PA — Statewide
417
of 1,261 officers
33.1% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Matthew Arnold Seckinger's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Matthew Arnold Seckinger Compares

Age at End of Watch
59
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
26
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Matthew Arnold Seckinger is highlighted in Apr.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location