Florida Highway Patrol, Florida
End of Watch: Wednesday, March 18, 1970
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: March 18, 1970
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Trooper John Hagerty was killed when the traffic plane he was piloting was struck by a low-flying U.S. Navy plane over Lakeland.
He was monitoring traffic on I-4, flying at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, when two Navy A7B Corsair bombers entered the airspace near him. One of the jets collided with his plane, slicing it in two. The wreckage of his plane landed on I-4, approximately four miles north of Lakeland.
Trooper Hagerty and other troopers had previously reported Navy aircraft buzzing the traffic control planes and vehicles on the highway.
Trooper Hagerty had served with the Florida Highway Patrol for 13 years.