On a summer day in New York City, Police Officer Thomas Schimenti Jr., a 36-year-old male, was walking his beat when he was thrust into a life-or-death confrontation. It was August 17, 1979, when a woman urgently flagged him down, reporting a bank robbery in progress at 100 Park Avenue. The robber, disguised in a gorilla mask, was fleeing the scene.
Without hesitation, Officer Schimenti pursued the suspect, who was heading north on Park Avenue.
As the chase unfolded, two detectives in the area joined the pursuit. The pursuit culminated in a violent encounter near the iconic Grand Central Terminal, where the suspect turned and opened fire. In the ensuing chaos, Officer Schimenti was fatally wounded, and one of the detectives was injured.
The suspect, who was also wounded during the exchange, was apprehended a short time later, found hiding under a car a block away. He was identified as 37-year-old Peter Donahue. Despite his capture, the path to justice took an unexpected turn. On March 3, 1980, Donahue, along with three other inmates, escaped from Rikers Island Prison where he was being held for Officer Schimenti's murder. While the other escapees were eventually recaptured, Donahue remains at large to this day.
Officer Schimenti, a 12-year veteran of the New York City Police Department assigned to the Midtown South Precinct, was survived by his wife and two children. In a lasting tribute to his sacrifice, a street corner on Staten Island was renamed in his honor on August 17, 1988.
