In the early morning hours of October 14, 1981, a high-speed chase through the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey, ended in tragedy, claiming the life of a young police officer. Peter Francis Egnor, a 21-year-old male patrolman with the Atlantic City Police Department, was fatally shot during the pursuit. The incident began after a woman informed officers that she had been robbed the previous week by a man she had just seen.
When police attempted to stop the suspect, he fled, initiating a dangerous chase.
The suspect, identified as Thomas Warren Kerr of Chicago, Illinois, fired multiple shots from his vehicle, striking three separate police cars. Officer Egnor, who was driving his patrol car, was struck by the gunfire. Despite his partner's efforts, the patrol car spun out of control on the Albany Avenue bridge. Officer Egnor had been with the police department for just 18 months at the time of his death.
The pursuit concluded when Kerr's vehicle crashed. As officers approached, they found that the suspect had taken his own life. Inside the vehicle, a significant cache of weapons was discovered. There were no other suspects involved in the incident, and with Kerr's death, no arrests were made in connection with Officer Egnor's murder. In a lasting tribute to his sacrifice, the Albany Avenue bridge was officially renamed the Peter Francis Egnor Memorial Bridge on October 14, 2006.
