Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Rau was struck and killed by a vehicle he was attempting to stop at the intersection of 17th Street and Hamilton Street.
He was struck by one of two vehicles that were racing along Hamilton Street as he stepped into the roadway to signal them to stop. He was taken to Allentown Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Patrolman Rau had served with the Allentown Police Department for 15 years. He was a widower and survived by his son, daughter, three brothers, and sister.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-PA-09BA08BB- Stewardship
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- 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.
Patrolman Rau gave the Allentown Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Allentown community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Rau.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John A. Rau 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John A. Rau's cause is highlighted.
How John A. Rau Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John A. Rau is highlighted in Jan.