Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Morris Gelles died while assisting at the scene of a factory fire at the five-story Friedlander Leather Remnant Company on 1114-20 North Bodine Street. Officer Gelles was trying to rescue trapped firefighters and was carrying the body of a fireman when a wall fell and he was crushed. Officer Gelles and thirteen firemen were killed during the blaze. Officer Gelles had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for two years and was assigned to the eighth district. He was survived by his parents. He is buried in Har Nebo Cemetery in Philadelphia.
Survivors
He was survived by his parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-399C66C2- 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.
Police Officer Gelles gave the Philadelphia Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Gelles.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Morris Gelles 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%.
At Philadelphia Police Department, 110 of 378 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Morris Gelles's cause is highlighted.
How Morris Gelles Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Morris Gelles is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
377 officers from Philadelphia Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
