FEATURE: R.I.P Bro. Shawn Carson

This is an open letter to my deceased Brother Shawn Carson. Shawn was a Jersey City police office who died in the line of duty on Christmas night in 2005 when his patrol vehicle drove off a drawbridge on Lincoln Highway in Jersey City. I learned of his passing while at work at CNN and caught the breaking news while alone at my desk the day after the accident.

Officer Shawn Carson and Officer Robert Nguyen were killed when their patrol truck drove off of the Hackensack River Bridge and plunged 45-feet into the Hackensack River during a period of heavy fog at 8:20 pm.

The officers had driven across the lift-bridge to place flares on the Newark side to warn drivers about a problem with the bridge's operations. As they set the flare, the bridge operator opened the span to allow a tugboat to pass underneath. The bridge's safety bar and warning lights, which had not been functional for two days, failed to activate when the span opened.

As the officers returned to the Jersey City side of the bridge, their vehicle drove off of the open portion of the span and fell to the river below, killing both officers.

Officer Carson was pulled from the water two hours after the incident and taken to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officer Nguyen's body was found on December 29th by members of the New York City Police Department Dive Unit. His body was snagged under concrete pilings in 50 feet of water some 90 feet from where the truck went into the river.

Officer Carson had served with the Jersey City Police Department for 16 years.


Dear Brother Shawn,

It is so hard to deal with the fact of losing you. It is even harder knowing that we did not stay in touch. Hearing others speak about you and the gifts that you left behind touched me beyond words. I felt jealous and guilty that others knew you and shared with you when I didn't. I was at work when I heard the news and saw the breaking news on television. I was alone and numb thinking about the missed opportunity of not having a close relationship with you. I later realized that the blessing you left me was giving me the courage to live each day as though it was my last.

You have helped free me of unimportant burdens that we encounter in this life. Each and every day I feel your spirit and know that you are watching over me. Know that you have left a gift deep within my soul that cannot be duplicated. We are the same age...we are the same kind...we are the same spirit!

Go to Shawn's Memorial Page

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