Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Joseph Nutter died as the result of exposure to fire while on duty.
Officer Nutter had initially been exposed to fire in downtown Philadelphia approximately one month prior. Soon after the fire, although ill, Officer Nutter had insisted on remaining on duty until his shift was over. He had developed a severe cold which turned into pneumonia. While still ill, Officer Nutter had worked 48-straight hours from Friday, February 28th, 1896, until Sunday, March 1st, 1896. Shortly after being relieved of duty Officer Nutter suffered a relapse and passed away three days later.
Police Officer Nutter served with the Philadelphia Police Department for five years and was survived by his wife and son.
Survivors
Police Officer Nutter served with the Philadelphia Police Department for five years and was survived by his wife and son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-5CE56B78- 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
130 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer Nutter gave the Philadelphia Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Joseph Z. Nutter 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. Joseph Z. Nutter's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Z. Nutter Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Z. Nutter is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
377 officers from Philadelphia Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
