New York City Police Department, New York
End of Watch: Saturday, February 9, 1963
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 11 years, 7 months
Badge Number: 251
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Date of Incident: February 8, 1963
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Detective Richard Arundell suffered a fatal heart attack while pursuing two suspects.
At about 11:00 pm Detective Arundell and his partner saw a car run a red light at the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and 62nd Road. They attempted to stop the vehicle, and both occupants bailed out of the vehicle and took off on foot. His partner fired three warning shots and shouted for the two to stop. The Detectives were able to apprehend one of the suspects after a brief chase.
After the chase, Detective Arundell felt pains in his chest. He was admitted to the hospital and died a short time later. Doctors attributed his death to the stress of the chase.
Detective Arundell was a United States WWII Army veteran and served with the New York City Police Department for 11 years, assigned to the Detective Division. He was survived by his wife and four children.
He is buried at Saint Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York.