New Jersey State Police, New Jersey
End of Watch: Saturday, December 2, 1961
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: 6 years, 11 months
Badge Number: 1382
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: December 2, 1961
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Trooper John Staas was killed in an automobile accident while on patrol in Mullica Township.
Trooper Staas was traveling west on the White Horse Pike in heavy fog and struck the left rear of a truck going the same direction. His police car careened off the road and into a tree and was pronounced dead at the scene. The dense fog was a traffic hazard for most of South Jersey.
Trooper Staas was a United States Navy veteran of World War II and had served with the New Jersey State Police for almost seven years. He was survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.