Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of each of these brave officers.

Trooper Marc Castellano, 29

New Jersey State Police

June 6, 2010 – Trooper Marc Castellano was struck by a vehicle and killed while attempting to locate the occupants of an abandoned vehicle beside Highway 195. The female driver of the abandoned car, Diana Hoffman, had been involved in a police pursuit and was later found hiding in the woods. She told officers that she had been with an armed man who’d fled the scene on foot. After an intensive search by law enforcement it was determined that the woman had lied about the man. She was taken into custody and charged with several offenses.

The driver of the car that struck the trooper was not charged.

Trooper Castellano leaves behind a wife and two children.

Officer Joshua Yazzi, 33

United States Department of the Interior – Bureau of Indian Affairs

June 7, 2010 – Officer Joshua Yazzi was killed while responding to assist an ambulance crew with a violent, intoxicated patient. He lost control of his patrol car in a curve causing it to roll over several times before tumbling down a 200 foot embankment. Officer Yazzi was ejected from the car and died at the scene.  He is survived by his wife Jessica and two children, Jaxsen and MaCee.

Entrance to road where fatal accident occurred

Officer Yazzi’s patrol car

Trooper Wesley Brown, 24

Maryland State Police

June 11, 2010 – Trooper Wesley Brown was shot and killed while working off-duty security at a Forestville Applebee’s restaurant. He’d escorted a disorderly patron from the business early in the evening. Later, that same patron was hiding in the parking lot and shot Trooper Wesley as he was leaving the restaurant. The suspect is still at large.

Trooper Wesley is survived by his fiancee.