Jersey City Police Department, New Jersey
End of Watch: Tuesday, November 24, 1992
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 18 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Duty related illness
Date of Incident: November 1, 1983
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Sergeant John Laughery died from the AIDS virus after contracting it during a search conducted in November 1983.
He was conducting a search of a woman's car for drugs when his hand was punctured by a hypodermic needle under one of the seats. He did not find out about his condition until 1989.
Sergeant Laughery had served with the Jersey City Police Department for 18 years. He was survived by his wife and four children.