N.J. State Police honor daughter of Trooper Matthew McManus, fallen officer killed in line of duty in 1938

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick J. Callahan recently met with Ann McManus, the 98-year-old daughter of Trooper Matthew McManus #144, who was killed in the line of duty on Feb. 28, 1938. Ann is recognized as the State Police’s most senior “Survivor of the Triangle,” a term reserved for families of fallen troopers.

During the visit, Callahan presented her with a framed photograph of her father’s badge number set against the backdrop of the American flag — a tribute not only to his State Police service but also to his military service in World War I.

Ann shared family photographs and newspaper clippings documenting her father’s funeral procession through Morristown and recounting earlier acts of heroism, including an incident in which he was shot and assaulted during an undercover investigation prior to the motorcycle crash that ultimately claimed his life.

State Police officials said the meeting reinforced their long-held pledge to honor the families of fallen troopers. “This visit reassured Ann and all of our Survivors of the Triangle families that we truly ‘Will Never Forget.’ May God continue to bless Ann and the McManus family for their service and sacrifice to this great State and Nation,” the agency said in a statement.

Matthew McManus was born May 3, 1895, in Newark and later lived in Morristown. He graduated from St. James High School in Newark and worked as a mechanic and pipe-fitter before joining the armed forces. From September 1917 to April 1918, he served in the U.S. Army’s First Air Service Regiment.

He enlisted in the New Jersey State Police on April 1, 1922, as a member of the 2nd Class and was stationed at Troop B in Netcong at the time of his death. His career was marked, the State Police noted, by “loyalty, fearless performance of duty and faithful and energetic devotion to the high principals of the New Jersey State Police.”

Trooper McManus suffered severe injuries on July 16, 1922, when he was thrown from a motorcycle near Hackettstown in Warren County. He underwent surgery at Dover General Hospital for a ruptured portion of his small intestine, which had been severed. Although he returned to duty in 1923, he continued to experience serious medical complications related to the accident and was placed on disability pension in 1927.

He died on Feb. 28, 1938, at the age of 43. At the time of his death, he had served five years with the State Police. He was survived by his wife, his 12-year-old daughter Ann, and a 5-year-old son.