Police Officer Thomas J. O'Neill
On this day in Baltimore Police History 1949 we lost our brother Police Officer Thomas J. O'Neill based on the following:
Officer O'Neill suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage after escorting an emergency Polio patient to Sydenham hospital at approx. 10PM. Officer’s O'Neill, Kemmerzell, and Newman, leapfrogged their motors from intersection, to intersection in order to get the patient to the hospital as quickly as possible without interruption. The escorted ambulance carrying the Polio patient to the hospital made it their safely, and in record time without incident. After the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the officers left to return to their posts. Officer O'Neill had trouble starting his bike (in 1949 they didn’t have electric starters, he had to kick-start his bike), he managed to catch up to the others and told them about his bike troubles and then made his way back over to his post near Lake Montebello. There can be a lot of stress in police work, often causing high blood pressure, and heart trouble from the fast paced lifestyle we as police have to live. In O'Neill case his body was found face down in the parking lot by a doctor, who realized he had an emergency medical condition so he rushed him to the ER where doctors determine that his medical condition was more serious than they were equipped to handle so they arranged for him to be escorted from Sydenham to Mercy Hospital.
A combination of factors, including the stress of the escort and the effort made to restart his motorcycle, induced a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. Doctors worked for hours to save the Officer O’Neill’s life, but at 6:45 AM on October the 16th 1949 Officer O'Neill died. Investigation reviled his death was duty related, and so his wife Helen was awarded his LOD pension.
As his brothers and sisters of the Baltimore Police Department we will not let him be forgotten, His service Honored the City of Baltimore, and the Baltimore Police Department may he rest in peace, and may God bless him.
Any request for official police information should first be made directly to:
Baltimore Police Department
242 W. 29th St., Baltimore, MD.
Emergencies: 9-1-1 Non-emergencies: 410-396-2037
BALTIMORE POLICE Web Site: http://www.baltimorepolice.org
Again please contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll if you have pictures of you, your family, or other members of the Baltimore Police Department and wish to see them remembered here on this tribute site. We are anxious to honor the fine men and women who have served this fine police department. Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Like us on Facebook, or contact us for a mailing address
Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll
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More details
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| End of Watch | 16 October, 1949 |
| City, St. | Baltimore, Md |
| Panel Number | 14-W: 26 |
| Cause of Death | Heart Attack |
| District Worked | Motors |
