Roll of Honor
Henry John "Jay" Cullen, III
Incident
Lieutenant Pilot Jay Cullen and Trooper Pilot Berke Bates were killed when their Bell 407 helicopter crashed into a wooded area in a residential neighborhood on Old Farm Road in Albemarle County, Virginia.
They were in the area to monitor civil unrest that was occurring in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a large protest. The helicopter had just taken off to monitor the Virginia governor's motorcade after he arrived in the area to assess the situation. The helicopter experienced some sort of issue before crashing into the trees and becoming engulfed in flames.
Trooper Bates and Lieutenant Cullen were killed in the crash.
Lieutenant Cullen had served with the Virginia State Police for 23 years and was assigned as the commander of the Aviation Unit.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-A27BA9AB- 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
23 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Pilot Cullen gave the Virginia State Police 23 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Virginia. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Pilot Cullen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Pilot Henry John "Jay" Cullen, III 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 VA, 203 of 654 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31% of this state's fallen.
At Virginia State Police, 32 of 52 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 61.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry John "Jay" Cullen, III's cause is highlighted.
How Henry John "Jay" Cullen, III Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Henry John "Jay" Cullen, III is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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