Woodbridge Police Honor Officers Who Died in the Line of Duty

A memorial service was held by the Woodbridge Police Department Wednesday to honor the lives of two Woodbridge police officers who died in the line of duty. One of the memorials was to celebrate the life of Officer Alvin Williams, who died in the line of duty on Sept. 6, 1979 while attempting to save two drowning children from an overflowing river caused by Hurricane David.

The site where the monument stands is near Home Depot on St. Georges Ave. in Colonia. That's near the spot where Williams lost his life.

The other monument is at the other end of St. Georges Ave., near the Cloverleaf where Routes 1 and 9 cross over the road. That's where Officer Joseph Lewis died almost 79 years ago. Lewis was killed on duty while on his motorcycle near the Cloverleaf on Sept. 18, 1932.

Alvin Williams family turned out for the event. His widow, Sarah Williams, and his two daughters, Candace Williams and Juanita Williams-Jenkins, were at the memorial commemoration along with other extended family members as the monument was unveiled.

“It makes me feel very good that they have not forgotten him,” said Sarah Williams. “It’s a wonderful monument, and it’ll be good for the generations to come so you have something to remember from the past.”

“I’ve had great support from people, they haven’t forgotten [about Alvin],” she said. “I appreciate their support, them coming out to see this great event.”

The monument, placed near Home Depot on St. Georges Ave. close to where Williams lost his life, features a sketch of the officer in his police uniform in front of the American flag. The monument reads, “Died in the Line of Duty Attempting to Save a Child” with the date of Williams’ death written underneath it.

“The monument is beautiful. The sketch of his picture is really unique [and] it’s something I’ll never forget,” Williams said. “Alvin was a good man. He loved children, so I guess his last deed was trying to save children. He will be always remembered in our hearts.”

Detective Bruce Chester, who was working with the Woodbridge Police Department and knew Williams at the time of his death, still vividly remembers the details of the day Williams died.

 “The hurricane had stopped, everything was flooded,” Chester said. “I got the call; I was about 30 seconds from [the scene of Williams’ death]. When I arrived it was a very eerie scene – very, very eerie. There were black clouds all over the place, water all over the place – I knew that something was very wrong.”

 “When I arrived – obviously, Alvin had tried to save these two children – they were all swept under this pipe that goes under [the river],” he said. “To have that kind of job as a young officer – that was 32 years ago and I’m still on the job now – it’s something that I’ll never forget, and every time I come by here I always look over to that scene where Alvin tried to save those two children. Sometimes it raises the hair on my back.”

“There are some jobs you just never forget in the police department,” Chester continued. “And when you have a brother die and you’re 30 seconds away and can’t do anything, it’s a horrible feeling.”

Detective Dean Janowski, president of Woodbridge PBA Local 38, didn’t have the opportunity to work with Alvin Williams, but he still considers him part of a brotherhood that all police officers are a part of.

“I wasn’t here for the events of that day; I was new [and working for] another police department at the time,” Janowski said. “However, I distinctly remember reading about it, hearing about it and seeing it [on the news]. It touched me then and it touches me now. I have since become a police officer for the last 26 years, and every chance we can we remember our two [Woodbridge] officers that have fallen – Joseph Lewis was our first and our brother Alvin Williams was our second, and hopefully they’ll never be a third.”

Janowski and Chester were among several individuals who spoke at the memorial service for Williams, which also included speeches from Mayor John McCormac and Councilman Kyle Anderson, a childhood neighbor and friend of the Williams family.

Anderson said he remembered being off from school the day Williams died because of a teacher’s strike, and he woke up that morning with his brother looking to play a game of wiffle ball with other kids in the neighborhood. They went to go see if their friend Ronald, Williams’ son, wanted to play when they got the news of Alvin Williams’ death.

 “We knew there had been a tragedy by all the visits from all the police officers throughout the day,” an emotional Anderson said. “I watched the news that night and was in disbelief – I couldn’t believe it. My neighbor, our hero was gone.”

“I remember my father coming home and I couldn’t do anything but stare at his shoes to see the dried mud because he had been at the site [of Williams’ death] to see if there was any glimmer of hope that his friend might be alive,” Anderson continued. “My father lectured us that night about being safe children and how our friend was going to have to grow up without a father and how many family members would be affected by that.”

“Mr. Williams will always be my hero, a Woodbridge hero and an American hero.”