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Deputy Sheriff

Meyer Van Lewen

Allegheny County Sheriff's Office — Pittsburgh, PA

Felonious Veteran →

End of Watch July 19, 1924

Age 43

Tour of Duty 17 yrs 7 mo

The Vigil Panel 47 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 5

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Meyer Van Lewen was shot and killed aboard a passenger train near Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, as he and another deputy escorted two prisoners to the Fairview State Hospital.

One of the inmates asked to use the bathroom so his handcuffs were loosened. The prisoner then grabbed red pepper and threw it in Deputy Van Lewen's eyes, temporarily blinding him. The other prisoner was able to disarm Deputy Van Lewen and shot him in the abdomen before escaping. He was arrested several miles away.

The shooter was found criminally insane and committed at the state mental hospital in Fairview. On June 13, 1925, the other prisoner, 22, was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years. He had recently been determined sane and released from the Liberty State Mental Hospital. He was placed in solitary confinement from 1931 to 1936 for his participation in the notorious "steam bath riot". He was paroled in April of 1943. In August of 1943 he was arrested for robbing a tavern in East Liberty.

Deputy Van Lewen was a U.S. Army veteran of the Spanish-American War. He had served in law enforcement for almost 18 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-PA-4F64D841
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 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.
Deputy Sheriff Van Lewen gave the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Pittsburgh 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

Department Allegheny County Sheriff's Office

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA

Platform Identity acso.allegheny.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 19, 1924

Tour of Duty 17 yrs 7 mo

Age 43

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

Military Service

Meyer Van Lewen served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Sheriff Meyer Van Lewen is one of 17,559 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 53.9% of all 32,587 officers honored here.

In PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 6.6 percentage points below the national rate of 53.9%.

At Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, 4 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Allegheny County Sheriff's Office

of 6 officers

66.7% Felonious

PA — Statewide

597

of 1,261 officers

47.3% Felonious

Nationwide

17,559

of 32,587 officers

53.9% Felonious