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Joseph Alan Seals
Agency patch
Detective

Joseph Alan Seals

Jersey City Police Department — Jersey City, NJ
Felonious
United States flag New Jersey flag
End of Watch December 10, 2019
Age 40
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
The Vigil Panel 170 ›
Gender Male
Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 40

Incident

Detective Joseph Seals was shot and killed at 12:30 pm in Bayview Cemetery after encountering two subjects, a man and woman, in a van that was linked to a homicide in Bayonne, New Jersey.

During the encounter, Detective Seals was shot in the back of the head. The two subjects then fled in the stolen van and eventually barricaded themselves inside of a kosher grocery store on Martin Luther King Drive. They murdered three people inside of the store and then engaged responding officers in a prolonged shootout for several hours in which two officers were wounded.

Both subjects were eventually shot and killed by officers during the shootout. A live pipebomb was later found inside of the van the two had abandoned before entering the store.

It is believed the subjects were part of a radical religious movement, held anti-Jewish and anti-law enforcement views, and specifically targeted the kosher grocery store in an act of religious terrorism.

Detective Seals had served with the Jersey City Police Department for 13 years and had served in law enforcement for a total of 18 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and five children.

In Our Keeping

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

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Seals gave the Jersey City Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Jersey City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Seals.

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

Agency

Department Jersey City Police Department
Type Police Department
Location Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ
Platform Identity jpd.hudson.nj.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 10, 2019
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
Age 40
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Joseph 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.

  3. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 2019, 64 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 117th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Joseph was 40. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Joseph had served 18 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

December holds 9.4% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun; unknown type, in 9.5% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Jersey City Police Department has 41 officers remembered here, Joseph among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Detective Joseph Alan Seals

Jersey City Police Department · End of Watch December 10, 2019

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 16-W

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