John W. Cahill
Agency patch
Police Officer

John W. Cahill

Yonkers Police Department — Yonkers, NY
Accident
End of Watch January 23, 1940
Age 35
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
The Vigil Panel 76 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Cahill was killed when he fell from a flight of basement stairs in a pitch-black basement. Officer Cahill had responded to the building after hearing an explosion.

Survivors

Officer Cahill had been with the agency for 10 years and was survived by his wife and seven-month-old daughter.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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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.
Police Officer Cahill gave the Yonkers Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Yonkers community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Cahill.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Yonkers, Westchester County, NY
Platform Identity ypd.westchester.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 23, 1940
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Age 35
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

John 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.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1940, 67 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 59th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

John was 35. 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. John had served 10 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

January holds 7.7% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Tuesdays: 14.1%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Yonkers Police Department has 20 officers remembered here, John among them.

Police Officer John W. Cahill

Yonkers Police Department · End of Watch January 23, 1940

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 18-E

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