Camden Police Department, New Jersey
End of Watch: Monday, July 2, 1973
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 2, 1973
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Officer Elwood Ridge was shot and killed when he intervened in a domestic dispute while on patrol.
While attempting to separate a man and his wife, the man grabbed Officer Ridge's handgun from his holster and shot him in the back. The next day, the shooter was arrested in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for throwing bottles at cars. He bragged to the Philadelphia police officer that he had killed a cop in New Jersey.
The 23-year-old suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. In 1995 the parole board notified no one when they approved his parole. The reaction of infuriated police and family members led the board to rescind his parole indefinitely.
Officer Ridge was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Camden Police Department for four years. He was survived by his expectant wife.