Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Matt Rittenhouse was killed in an automobile collision when his patrol car went out of control shortly before midnight.
It is believed that severe weather and rain-slicked roads, the result of Hurricane Ivan, contributed to the crash.
Officer Rittenhouse had served with the Harriman Police Department for three years and had previously served with the Roane County Sheriff's Department for two years.
Survivors
He is survived by his parents and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-A30823C2- 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.
Police Officer Rittenhouse gave the Harriman Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Harriman community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Rittenhouse.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Jesse Matthew Rittenhouse 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 TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jesse Matthew Rittenhouse's cause is highlighted.
How Jesse Matthew Rittenhouse Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Jesse Matthew Rittenhouse is highlighted in Sep.