Waldwick Police Department, New Jersey
End of Watch: Thursday, July 17, 2014
Age: 32
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: 38
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: July 17, 2014
Weapon Used: Automobile; Commercial
Suspect Info: Not available
Police Officer Chris Goodell was killed when his patrol car was struck by a tractor-trailer on Route 17, near Bergen Avenue, shortly before 1:30 a.m.
Officer Goodell was parked on the shoulder of Route 17, running radar, when the semi swerved onto to the shoulder and collided with the back of the patrol car. The patrol car was then pushed into a retaining wall.
An off-duty deputy from out of state was the first to arrive at the collision and immediately began providing aid to Officer Goodell.
Officer Goodell was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Waldwick Police Department for five years. He is survived by his fiancee.
In May 2015, Route 14 in Waldwick was renamed Christopher Gooddell Memorial Highway and the Department established the Christopher Gooddell Scholarship Fund that previous August.