Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Joseph Grill and Thomas Herron were killed in an auto accident while in pursuit of two stolen vehicles. Their patrol wagon collided with another patrol wagon near the intersection of 26th Street and Sarah Street shortly before 10:00 am. During the chase, both vehicles had split up and were continuing to be followed by Officers Grill and Herron. While pursuing the second vehicle on Sarah Street, their patrol wagon was broadsided by a second police wagon that was entering the pursuit on 26th Street. The 18-year-old suspect abandoned the stolen vehicle a few blocks away shortly after the crash. On March 14, the suspect was arrested at City Court while attending a hearing related to an unrelated charge of robbery. Investigators learned of the suspect's identity shortly after the accident and were unable to locate him but were aware of the scheduled court hearing. The driver of the first stolen vehicle was arrested the same day, several blocks from the accident scene. On October 9, 1991, the 18-year-old suspect pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of homicide by motor vehicle. The suspect was sentenced to 9 1/2 years to 29 years in prison. Officer Grill had served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for 25 years and was assigned to Zone 3 South Side.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three daughters, and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-88876EAA- 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
25 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Grill gave the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 25 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Grill.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Joseph John Grill 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 Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, 38 of 101 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joseph John Grill's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph John Grill Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 9 1/2 years to 29 years
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph John Grill is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
100 officers from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
