Galveston Police Department, Texas
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 9, 1952
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Hypothermia
Date of Incident: April 8, 1952
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Patrolman Froeschl died from exposure to the cold while attempting to save a drowning woman.
He had just finished his shift and was being driven by another officer in a patrol car when they heard a call about a woman drowning near 25th and Seawall. When they responded to the scene they encountered a crowd of 500 people, none of whom were helping rescue the woman. Patrolman Froeschl entered the cold water and rescued the woman. He was transported to a local hospital for exposure and shock and subsequently contracted pneumonia and died.
Patrolman Froeschl, a U.S. Army veteran of WWII, had been with the agency for two years and was survived by his pregnant wife and two children.