04/21/2026
On the 100th anniversary of his passing, the Dunellen PBA Local 146 commemorates the life and service of Patrolman Samuel Strickland, who served with the Dunellen Police Department from 1923 to 1926.
On February 2, 1925, a man robbed a jewelry store in Bound Brook and fled by taxi to Dunellen. The cab driver, growing suspicious, alerted Patrolman Strickland after spotting him leaving the police station. Acting on the driver’s concern, Strickland approached the suspect inside Meyer Allen Jewelers (now the Monmouth Museum of Dunellen) at North Avenue and North Washington Avenue. The man claimed he was there to have a watch repaired, but Strickland remained wary and asked him to return to the station for further questioning.
As they exited the store, the suspect suddenly pulled a gun and shot Strickland in the forehead. Wounded, Strickland stumbled and collapsed against the front window of the Dunellen Shoe Shining Company. Patrolman Patrick Tarpey, who was nearby at North Avenue and Lincoln Avenue, heard the shot and pursued the suspect. Tarpey later apprehended him, and the man was taken to Middlesex County Jail. At the time, Strickland’s injury left Tarpey as the department’s only active officer, as Chief Owen Mohan was away on vacation.
The bullet that struck Strickland fractured into three pieces upon impact. His recovery took nearly a year, after which he returned to duty in a limited role. By January 1926, he had resumed full duty. However, on April 21, 1926, while off duty, Strickland was involved in a vehicle accident when the car he was riding in overturned. The force of the crash caused the bullet fragments to shift, ultimately leading to his death.
Today, we remember Patrolman Samuel Strickland and the sacrifice he made—a lasting legacy of service to the Dunellen Borough community that will never be forgotten.