Policeman Homero Ortiz-Martinez

Policeman Homero Ortiz-Martinez | Puerto Rico Police Department, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Police Department, Puerto Rico
Policeman Homero Ortiz-Martinez

Puerto Rico Police Department, Puerto Rico

End of Watch Monday, October 7, 1985

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Homero Ortiz-Martinez

Policeman Homero Ortiz-Martinez drowned while working on efforts to recover a patrol car from the Coama River during Tropical Storm Isabel.

Sergeant Francisco Diaz-Melendez, Policeman Pedro Burgos-Lacourt, and Policeman Herminio Lopez-Pilar drowned when their patrol car fell through a broken bridge into a swollen river during Tropical Storm Isabel.

The officers were responding to a distress call while driving along PR-52 Luis A. Ferre Expressway. When they arrived at marker 78.1 they did not realize the bridge had collapsed completely, and their vehicle fell into the Coamo River along with other vehicles. It was concluded that heavy rains caused the bridge to collapse and poor visibility obscured the missing portion of the bridge.

Bio

  • Age 32
  • Tour Not available
  • Badge Not available

Incident Details

  • Cause Automobile crash

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Thank you for your service and know that your sacrifice will never be forgotten by your law enforcement brethren.

Detective Cpl/3 Steven Rizzo
Delaware State Police (Retired)

October 7, 2020

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