Patrolman Joseph T. Jockel

Joseph T. Jockel

Patrolman Joseph Jockel was shot and killed while off-duty when he attempted to arrest four robbery suspects.

Patrolman Jockel was off-duty, but in uniform, and had just left his mothers house in Maspeth, Queens, when he observed a speeding taxicab that failed to stop at a signal. Patrolman Jockel commandeered a vehicle and pursued the suspects, who had just robbed a store, and forced their vehicle off the road. When the vehicle came to a stop, the suspects exited, and one suspect shot Patrolman Jockel three times in the head. Patrolman Jockel stumbled toward a police call box but collapsed before he could reach it. He died at the scene.

Patrolman Jockel's mother, who was attending a Christmas party across the street from where the shooting occurred, was the first person to find Patrolman Jockel after he was shot.

Patrolman Jockel was posthumously awarded the New York City Police Department's Medal of Honor for his actions.

Patrolman Jockel was assigned to Motorcycle Squad 1. His wife and four children survived him.