Baltimore City Police Department, Maryland
End of Watch: Sunday, October 16, 1949
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 21 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Duty related illness
Date of Incident: October 15, 1949
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Police Officer Thomas O'Neill suffered a fatal hemorrhage after conducting a motorcycle escort for a medical emergency at 10:00 pm. During the escort, Officer O'Neill's motorcycle stalled at an intersection and he tried for several minutes to get it restarted using the kick-starter. He was able to get it started and joined the ambulance and other motorcycle officers at Sydenham Hospital. Several minutes later Officer O'Neill collapsed.
A nearby doctor immediately attended to the officer and determined his condition was so bad that he needed to be transported to Mercy Hospital. Doctors at Mercy Hospital attended to Officer O'Neill for several hours, but he died as a result of the hemorrhage at approximately 6:45 am the following morning.
A medical investigation determined that the hemorrhage was a result of the stress of the transport, combined with attempting to restart his motorcycle and a previous on-duty motorcycle accident several weeks prior.
Officer O'Neill had served with the Baltimore Police Department for 21 years and was assigned to the Traffic Division. He was survived by his wife, three children, sister, and four brothers. His identical twin brother also served with the agency.