Incident
Officer Sheldon was killed in an accident in the line of duty. Because police department records were destroyed in a fire, the details of the accident are not available although some reports state his skull was fractured when he fell down an areaway. Officer Sheldon was a three-year veteran of the force.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-7AB167A5- 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.
Policeman Sheldon gave the Philadelphia Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Policeman Sheldon.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Policeman Thomas A. Sheldon 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. Thomas A. Sheldon's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas A. Sheldon Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas A. Sheldon is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
377 officers from Philadelphia Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.















