Omar J. Edwards

New York City Police Department — New York, NY

Accident

End of Watch May 28, 2009

Age 25

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Badge 7347

The Vigil Panel 158 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 1,221

Incident

Omar J. Edwards was a young police officer, new to the job, when he was killed on 28 May 2009.

At about 10:30 p.m. that night, Officer Edwards was off duty and in street clothes, walking to his parked car on Second Avenue between 124th and 125th Streets in East Harlem, when he saw a man breaking into his Nissan Maxima. He chased the man, drawing his shield and his gun. Two plainclothes anti-crime officers from the 25th Precinct mistook him for a criminal. After they shouted for him to drop the weapon, Officer Edwards reportedly turned with the gun in his hand, and they opened fire. He was struck three times, in the left arm, the side and the back, and the bullets injured his heart and left lung. Officers who arrived moments later saw his shield and realized that he was a fellow officer. He was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 25 years old. The officer who fired the fatal shots was described as devastated.

The man who broke into the car, Miguel Goitia, was arrested at the scene before he could get away. He admitted breaking the car window with a spark plug to look for something to steal. He pleaded guilty on 16 September 2009 and on 21 October 2009 was sentenced to one and a third years in prison.

He was posthumously promoted to Detective First Grade.

Survivors

Detective Edwards is survived by his wife and two young children.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Edwards gave the New York City Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Edwards.

— 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 May 28, 2009

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 25

Badge Number 7347

Gender Male

Assignment Housing Bureau, Manhattan Impact Response Team

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

Omar is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 2009, 57 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 81st heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Omar was 25. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Omar had served 2 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.