JERSEY CITY – Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr. announced today that he would introduce legislation that would rename the Lincoln Highway Bridge as the “Shawn Carson and Robert Nguyen Memorial Bridge” in honor of the two Jersey City police officers who died when their patrol car fell off the bridge last December.
“The accident that took the lives of Officers Carson and Nguyen last Christmas night touched all New Jerseyans and brought our state together to mourn for the families of these two selfless individuals,” said Senator Doria, D-Hudson. “These two men died as they lived every day – working to serve and protect those in their community. There is no greater sacrifice.”
Shawn Carson was a 16-year veteran of the Department and a decorated officer who received two commendations, four Excellent Police Service Awards and a World Trade Center Award. Robert Nguyen had served with the Department for six years and had distinguished himself by receiving the World Trade Center Award, a unit citation as a member of the Special Investigations Unit and two Excellent Police Service Awards.
Police said, the two men, both members of the department’s elite Emergency Services Unit, were dispatched to the Lincoln Highway Bridge to alert motorists driving in the poor weather conditions that there were broken safety barriers on the bridge connecting Jersey City with Kearny. After setting up flares on the Kearny side of the bridge, they set to return to Jersey City when, without warning, the bridge was opened to allow a boat to pass, according to official reports. Officers Carson and Nguyen both died when their patrol car plunged into the Hackensack River below.
“We seek to honor the memory of two brave officers who died trying to protect others,” added Senator Doria. “This bridge will stand as a monument to the innumerable acts of heroism, both big and small, performed by New Jersey’s police officers every single day. They risk tragedy so that their neighbors don’t have to.”
The resolution would also authorize the Department of Transportation to erect appropriate signs bearing the new name of the bridge.