Robert J. Thorpe

New York City Police Department — New York, NY

Felonious

End of Watch August 13, 1900

The Vigil Panel 16 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 1,221

Incident

On the sweltering night of 12 August 1900, Robert J. Thorpe, a plainclothes officer from the West 47th Street station house, was arresting a young woman named May Enoch for loitering at Eighth Avenue and West 41st Street in Manhattan. Her common-law husband, Arthur Harris, came out of a nearby cigar store, a crowd gathered and a fight broke out, and Harris stabbed Thorpe twice with a penknife and fled the city. Thorpe was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he died the next day, 13 August 1900.

His death set off a riot that ran for days along Eighth Avenue between 30th and 42nd Streets, in which white mobs attacked Black New Yorkers in the streets, in shops and on streetcars, and violence broke out again outside his wake. Harris was later caught, convicted and sentenced to life in prison at Sing Sing, where he died on 20 December 1908.

Survivors

Patrolman Thorpe was assigned to the West 47th Street Station and was survived by his sister.

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Last updated: August 2, 2026

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Thorpe served with the New York City Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Thorpe.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department New York City Police Department

Type Police Department

Location New York, NY

Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 13, 1900

Gender Male

Assignment 20 Squad ("47th Street Stationhouse")

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Edged weapon

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Robert is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1900, 86 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 74th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

When

August holds 8.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Mondays: 13.8%.

By month

By day of the week

III

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was edged weapon, in 2.2% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded