Police Officer Gary D. Pagano was appointed to the Department on March 10th , 1969. He was killed in a car accident during a high speed chase of robbery suspects on September 14t \ 1982 at 1:34 p.m., when his patrol car skidded off the New England Thruway into an abandoned truck on the shoulder and caught fire. The robbery suspects had fled 12 Kensington Oval after tying up a maid and gagging an 11 year-old boy. The suspects were later apprehended and convicted.
A thirteen year veteran of the Department, Officer Pagano had earned three citations for exceptional police work.
He was a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps who served his country in Vietnam from 1963 to 1967. He was described by colleagues as a family man and a dependable officer who was always there for others. The tough nature of the former United States Marine was masked by a full, congenial face.
Following a funeral mass at StJames the Apostle Church in Carmel Officer Pagano was buried at Raymond Hill Cemetery in Carmel before an honor guard of New Rochelle Police Officers and a gathering of relatives and friends.
Each year, as part of National Police Week each May, the City of New Rochelle remembers the 8 New Rochelle police officers who died in the line of duty.
