Police Officer Patrick F. Whalen

Patrick F. Whalen

Police Officer Whalen was killed when a transformer exploded. Officer Whalen had parked his motorcycle in front of a theater when an explosion in front of the theater came without warning and threw slabs of sidewalk into the air creating a massive hole in the sidewalk. An electrical transformer had shorted and blew up and A 10-year-old girl had fallen into the burning hole.

Officer Whalen, running up the street, saw the child in the hole and immediately jumped in to rescue her. He handed the girl up to off-duty officers. A few seconds later a second explosion occurred virtually incinerating Officer Whalen, who was still in the hole. He died instantly.

In 1985, Fifty-one years later Officer Whalen was posthumously awarded his agency's Medal of Honor. The award was presented to his great nephew, who also served with the Yonkers Police Department.