St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, Florida
End of Watch: Sunday, May 2, 2004
Age: 20
Tour of Duty: 10 months
Badge Number: 3257
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: May 2, 2004
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Deputy Sheriff John Blyler was killed in an automobile crash while responding to a 911 call at about 3:20 am.
Deputy Blyler had been dispatched to a theft at a convenience store but was diverted to a 911 hang-up call. He was driving his marked patrol car in a non-emergency mode when he lost control and struck a mailbox on Palm Valley Road just west of Bear Pen Road. He went into a drainage ditch, began to overturn, and struck a tree and power pole.
A team from St. John's County Fire Rescue witnessed the crash and worked to save Deputy Blyler, using the jaws of life to free him from the wreckage. Deputy Blyler was flown to Shands Jacksonville Hospital where he died shortly after 5 a.m.
Deputy Blyler had served with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office for 10 months. He is survived by his parents and brother.