Officer John Byko Remembered
City of Linden Police Department
Members of the Linden Police Department gathered at Rosedale Cemetery on June 14, 2022 to honor the sacrifice of Linden Police Officer John Byko, who was killed on Friday, June 14, 1935. To date, Ofc. Byko remains the only Linden Police Officer to die in the line of duty.
Ofc. Byko was killed when the patrol car he was driving in was struck head-on by another vehicle on Route 1, formerly known as Route 25. His partner Officer Harry Weitzman was also seriously injured in the accident but survived.
The driver of that vehicle, Vincent Rodnick of Carteret, had lost his license following a fatal crash seven years earlier in which he crashed into a truck, killing his passenger. It was learned that Rodnick used a fake name to fraudulently obtain the registration for the vehicle that killed Ofc. Byko.
Rodnick plead guilty to a charge of causing death by automobile, was jailed for six months and deprived of his right to drive.
At the time of his death Officer Byko had served with the Linden Police Department for seven years. He was survived by his wife Mary and two children, John and Barbara.
Sadly, his sacrifice was forgotten until his death was discovered in an archived log book in 2010. Ofc. Byko’s name was added to Union County Fallen Officers Memorial in October 2010, and to National Law Enforcement Memorial in 2013.
Courtesy photos
