sergeant joseph weckesser

 marine division

june 16, 1927

Sergeant Joseph Weckesser of the Marine Division,
died at NY Children’s Hospital on Randall’s Island on June 16, 1927,
from severe burns he received while attempting to extinguish a fire
aboard Police Launch Number 1 on the East River.
The Sergeant’s uniform had caught fire after the gas engine exploded.

He had been previously cited for bravery for the rescue of a drowning man.