Cook County Sheriff's Police Department, Illinois
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 3, 1977
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: 152
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: August 3, 1977
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Investigator John Rusnak was killed when his unmarked vehicle was struck from behind by a pickup truck while he was traveling southbound on the Tri-State Tollway in Alsip.
Investigator Rusnak was about to meet with other officers from his unit to do surveillance on a suspect's home when his vehicle was struck. His vehicle was spun around and pinned against a guardrail.
The pickup truck rolled several times after the initial impact, coming to rest on top of Investigator Rusnak's vehicle before both vehicles burst into flames. Investigator Rusnak died due to the fire and massive internal injuries.
Investigator Rusnak had served with the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department for 11 years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, son, parents, sister and grandparents.