In Memoriam

Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier was struck and killed by a truck while conducting a traffic stop on I-84 East near Exit 31 in Southington.

On May 30, 2024 at 2:36 p.m., TFC Pelletier pulled over a vehicle on the right shoulder of the highway.  While speaking with the driver of the car, a truck crossed into the shoulder, sideswiped his cruiser, and struck him.  

The driver fled in the vehicle and was apprehended approximately five miles away, hiding in the woods.  The driver was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs, operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license and second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle.

TFC Pelletier served with the Connecticut State Police for 9 years.  He is survived by his wife and two children.

Sergeant Brian Mohl died of blunt force trauma after his patrol car was swept off Jacks Bridge Road from floodwaters in Woodbury, at about 3:30 am., on Thursday September 2, 2021.

Sergeant Mohl was checking water levels in the area during a period of severe rain in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida when his patrol car was carried off the roadway. He was able to radio a distress call to dispatchers and a massive search was immediately undertaken. He was recovered from the river several hours later and pronounced dead at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Sergeant Mohl had served with the Connecticut State Police for 26 years. He is survived by his wife, three children, parents, and five siblings.

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Trooper First Class Eugene Baron died as the result of cancer contracted while assisting with rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001.

Trooper Baron, along with other members of the Connecticut State Police, had responded to the World Trade Center immediately following the attacks to search for survivors.

Trooper Baron had served with the Connecticut State Police for 18 years prior to retiring due to his medical condition. He is survived by three children, parents, two sisters, his partner and her two children.

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Trooper First Class Walter Greene died from illnesses he contracted while inhaling toxic materials as he participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Trooper Greene and his canine, along with other members of the Connecticut State Police’s search and rescue team, had responded to the World Trade Center immediately following the attacks to search for possible survivors.

Trooper Greene was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Connecticut State Police for 28 years. He is survived by his wife and three sons.

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Trooper Kevin Miller was killed in a vehicle crash on eastbound I-84, in Tolland, at approximately 12:30 pm.

His patrol car collided with the back of a tractor-trailer that was traveling slower than other traffic in the right lane of the interstate.

Trooper Miller was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the Connecticut State Police for 19 years and was assigned to Troop C. He is survived by two children.

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Trooper Kenny Hall was killed when his patrol car was struck as he was issuing a summons on I-91, just north of Route 220 in Enfield. He had stopped a vehicle on I-91 for an infraction and was in his patrol car writing a summons when it was struck by a vehicle that had swerved from the left lane all the way to right the shoulder. The patrol car was pushed into the vehicle he had stopped, trapping Trooper Hall inside for 45 minutes.

Trooper Hall was transported to Baystate Medical Center where he died from his injuries. The driver who caused the crash tested positive for cocaine and other drugs. He was convicted of manslaughter in September 2011 and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Trooper Hall had served with the Connecticut State Police for 22 years and was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He is survived by his wife and four children.

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Auxiliary Trooper Phillip Mingione was killed after being struck by a vehicle as he retrieved his raincoat from his patrol while parked in the median of I-91, near Route 40 in North Haven.

A vehicle traveling on the highway was struck by a hit-and-run driver. The impact caused the vehicle to go off the highway and strike Auxiliary Trooper Mingione.

Auxiliary trooper Mingione was survived by his wife and two sons.

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Auxiliary Trooper Edward Truelove was killed when his patrol car was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer and burst into flames on I-84, at its junction with Route 70, in Cheshire.

He was calling in a disabled vehicle at the time of the accident. Prior to the accident, he had directed the occupants of the disabled vehicle to climb onto a nearby embankment to stay out of harm’s way.

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Trooper Russell Bagshaw was shot and killed when he interrupted a burglary at a sporting goods store just west of the intersection of Route 6 and Route 203 in Windham. He was conducting a security check when he was shot while still inside of his patrol car. He died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Two brothers were charged in the shooting. The brother who shot Trooper Bagshaw was sentenced to death. In 2000 his sentence was commuted to life. The other brother was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Trooper Bagshaw had served with the Connecticut State Police for 4.5 years. He is survived by his wife, father, twin brother, and older brother.

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Trooper Jorge Agosto was struck and killed by a vehicle while working a Thanksgiving holiday traffic detail on I-95 in Greenwich.

He had stopped to assist another trooper on a traffic stop just south of Exit 5. He was struck by a car while walking on the shoulder of the highway. The driver of the car that struck him had been suffering a diabetic seizure at the time of the crash.

Trooper Agosto had served with the Connecticut State Police for two years and was assigned to Troop L. He was survived by his wife.

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Trooper James Savage was struck and killed by a vehicle while making a traffic stop on Route 8, just south of Exit 28 in Watertown.

Another vehicle drifted out of the travel lane and struck Trooper Savage from behind as he walked to the car he had stopped.

Trooper Savage had served with the Connecticut State Police for 18 years and was assigned to Troop H.

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Lieutenant Thomas Carney was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer during a traffic stop on I-84 in Southbury.

He was en route to Troop L when the incident occurred.

Lieutenant Carney had been employed with the Connecticut State Police for 17 years.

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Trooper Carl Moller was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while assisting a motorist on I-84, near the South Main Street exit, in West Hartford.

The driver of the car that Trooper Moller stopped to help was also killed. The driver who caused the crash fled the scene but turned himself into a Hartford police officer who was directing traffic. The man was charged with two counts of negligent homicide.

Trooper Moller had served with the Connecticut State Police for six years. He was survived by his young daughter.

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Trooper Joseph Stoba was shot and killed after responding to a domestic disturbance at 5 Diggins Avenue in Portland, Connecticut.

Trooper Stoba was transporting a jail trustee back to prison when he was redirected to the domestic disturbance call. After talking with the male suspect it was decided that the man should go with Trooper Stoba to sober up. The man was allowed to go back into his home to get a sweater but came back out with a rifle and shot the trooper. The trustee, who witnessed the shooting, radioed for help. Minutes later another state trooper took the suspect into custody.

The suspect was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on November 27th, 1962.

Trooper Stoba was assigned to Troop K.

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Trooper James Lambert was struck and killed by a drunk driver while making a traffic stop on Route 6 in Bethel.

Trooper Lambert had only served with the agency for seven months. He was survived by his parents.

An annual award, the Trooper James W. Lambert Award, was created in his honor to recognize young adults who perform life-saving acts.

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Trooper Ernest Morse was shot and killed after stopping a stolen vehicle on the Merritt Parkway in Trumbull.

As Trooper Morse approached the car the driver shot him in the abdomen. He was found by a passerby who used his radio to call for assistance. He was taken to Bridgeport City Hospital where he died one hour later.

The subject who shot Trooper Morse was convicted of murder, sentenced to death, and was subsequently executed on July 18th, 1955.

Trooper Morse was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Connecticut State Police for six years.

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Lieutenant Frank Starkel was killed after being struck in the head by a large piece of rock.

The rock had been blown more than a half mile, from the Newington Quarry, as a result of an explosion.

Lieutenant Starkel had served with the Connecticut State Police for 23 years and was assigned as the State Fire Marshal. He was survived by his wife, mother, five brothers, and sister.

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Lieutenant Kenneth Stevens suffered a fatal heart attack following a boating accident on the Connecticut River near Lyme, Connecticut.

He and other officers were assisting the United States Navy with port security when his patrol boat struck a pylon for an old pier. Lieutenant Stevens and the four other occupants of the boat were all thrown into the water. As the men swam towards the shore Lieutenant Stevens suffered a heart attack. His body was pulled from the water a short time later.

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Trooper Edward Jesmonth was killed in an automobile crash while responding to a fire at a boatyard along the Connecticut River in Portland, Connecticut.

His patrol car left the wet roadway and struck a tree in East Hampton as he drove two other state police employees to the scene.

Trooper Jesmonth had been with the agency for two years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, parents, brother, and sister.

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Sergeant Charles Hill was struck by a hit-and-run driver while making a traffic stop on Route 44 in North Canaan, near the Norfolk line.

Sergeant Hill was a widower who was survived by his 9-year-old son.

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Trooper Leonard Watson was killed in a motorcycle crash on the Waterbury-Cheshire Road (modern-day Route 70), in front of the Connecticut Quarries, while en route to work crowd control at a Yale University football game in New Haven.

His motorcycle slid on a wet railroad crossing and he was struck by an oncoming truck.

Trooper Watson had served with the Connecticut State Police for seven years. He was survived by his wife and 18-month-old daughter.

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Trooper Stanley Hellberg was killed in a motorcycle crash while attending the recruit training at the Ridgefield State Police Barracks.

His police motorcycle left the roadway and struck a stone wall while he was driving on the Norwalk-Danbury Road (modern day Route 7) near Ridgeville.

Trooper Hellberg was a U.S. Army veteran and had only served with the Connecticut State Police for two months. He was survived by his parents.

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Trooper Lloyd Eukers succumbed to injuries sustained on July 17th, 1928, when he was involved in a motorcycle crash on the New London Turnpike, in South Glastonbury.

His motorcycle collided with a car that turned into his path in front of the Daskam Masonic Lodge.

Trooper Eukers had served with the Connecticut State Police for 2-1/2 years. He was survived by his wife.

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Trooper Irving Nelson was shot and killed while chasing two armed robbery suspects near Pomfret, Connecticut. He was responding on his police motorcycle from Station 5 to assist other officers. Trooper Nelson located the car and initiated a pursuit. During the pursuit the suspects opened fire on him, striking him twice. Trooper Nelson was able to stop his motorcycle before collapsing and succumbing to the gunshot wounds.

Both suspects were members of a gang that had perpetrated a series of robberies in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and were escaping from police of that city at the time Trooper Nelson tried to halt them. Both suspects were arrested six days later and charged with first-degree murder. They were each found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

On January 4, 1930, one of the suspects along with two other men escaped from the Connecticut State Prison. On January 19, 1930, they shot and killed Officer Willie D. Smith of the Jacksonville, Florida, Police Department and seriously wounded another officer as they attempted to question them. All three men were apprehended a few days later in Florida.

Trooper Irving was a US Army veteran of WWI. He was survived by his expectant wife.

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Trooper Bartholomew Skelly was killed in a motorcycle crash in Clinton while returning from duty at the Yale Bowl, in New Haven, during a football game.

Another motor officer driving in front of Trooper Skelly suddenly stopped, causing Trooper Skelly to take evasive action. He was thrown from his motorcycle and sustained severe head injuries. He was taken to the home of a doctor who lived nearby but died several hours later.

Trooper Skelly was survived by his wife and three young children. He was killed on the seventh birthday of one of his sons.

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Trooper Pearle Roberts was killed in a motorcycle crash in Mount Carmel while returning to headquarters following duty at a college football game.

The front wheel of his police motorcycle became caught in a streetcar track on Whitney Boulevard. He was thrown to the ground and sustained fatal injuries.

Trooper Roberts was survived by his expectant wife.

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