Roll of Honor
Incident
Policeman John Astin was killed when his motorcycle struck a horse on East Main Road, near Middletown.
He and a Portsmouth motorcycle officer were on a special assignment to escort a car parade from Newport. They were driving toward Newport to meet with the parade when both motorcycles struck the horse after it walked onto the roadway in the dark.
Policeman Astin was killed and the Portsmouth officer suffered a fractured skull.
Policeman Astin was survived by his wife and two children.
Survivors
Policeman Astin was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RI-554B7E28- Stewardship
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- 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 Astin served with the Tiverton Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Tiverton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Policeman Astin.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Policeman John R. Astin 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 RI, 23 of 55 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.8 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 R. Astin's cause is highlighted.
How John R. Astin Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John R. Astin is highlighted in Nov.