Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Robert Bigelow was killed while on his motorcycle patrol. A car driven by a drunk driver ran a stop sign as Patrolman Bigelow entered the intersection. Patrolman Bigelow hit the side of the car and died the following morning of critical head and chest injuries. The driver of the car was never charged for driving under the influence or held responsible for the accident.
Survivors
Patrolman Bigelow was survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-53EA5DC1- 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.
Patrolman Bigelow gave the Altoona Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Altoona community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Bigelow.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Robert Jacob Bigelow 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 Altoona Police Department, 3 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Jacob Bigelow's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Jacob Bigelow Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Jacob Bigelow is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Altoona Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
