Roll of Honor
Thomas Lawrence Herron
Incident
Police Officer Thomas Herron and Officer Joseph J. Grill were killed in a vehicle crash 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 split up and continued to be followed by Officers Herron and Grill. While pursuing the second vehicle on Sarah Street, their patrol vehicle was broadsided by a second police wagon that was entering the pursuit on 26th Street. The 18-year-old subject 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 collision 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 crash 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 Herron was a United States Army veteran who had served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for 22 years and was assigned to Zone 3 South Side.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, three sons, and a daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-9AB36556- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Herron gave the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 22 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Thomas Lawrence Herron served in the Army (1954â1956) before joining law enforcement.
Police Officer Thomas Lawrence Herron 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. Thomas Lawrence Herron's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas Lawrence Herron 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. Thomas Lawrence Herron 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.
