Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John Polcsak was killed in a motorcycle crash while pursuing two subjects wanted for theft shortly after midnight. A man and a 14-year-old girl had stolen $2,800 from the girl's mother the previous week. A Springdale constable had obtained warrants for both subjects and attempted to arrest them, but the two fled in a vehicle into Cheswick. Patrolman Polcsak and a state highway patrol officer joined the pursuit and chased the subjects into Harmar Township. As the pursuit approached the Hulton Bridge, on Freeport Road, Patrolman Polcsak's motorcycle was sideswiped by another car and he crashed. The constable and highway patrolman terminated the pursuit and transported Patrolman Polcsak to Citizens General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 11:00 am. Both subjects were arrested later the in the day by the Springdale constable and members of the Pittsburgh Police Department. Patrolman Polcsak had served with the Cheswick Borough Police Department for three years.
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BO-US-PA-8CB55259- Stewardship
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- 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 Polcsak gave the Cheswick Borough Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cheswick community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Polcsak.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman John Polcsak 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%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Polcsak's cause is highlighted.
How John Polcsak Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Polcsak is highlighted in Aug.