Suffolk County Police Honor Officer Jack Burkhardt, 49 Years After Line-of-Duty Death

Forty-nine years ago today, Police Officer Jack C. Burkhardt climbed onto the roof of an A&P shopping center on Montauk Highway in Mastic and never came back down. On March 15, 2026, the Suffolk County Police Department and the Suffolk County PBA honored his memory, marking nearly five decades since his death in the line of duty.

The night that ended Burkhardt's life began at approximately 10:45 p.m. on March 10, 1977. He and Officer Anthony Morrisette were working a 4-12 tour in the Fifth Precinct when they received a call of a possible burglary in progress at the A&P. A complainant had reported hearing noises on the roof. Burkhardt climbed up to investigate while Morrisette checked the building from the ground. Finding no signs of a ground-level break-in, Morrisette returned to the spot where Burkhardt had climbed and found him unconscious. Burkhardt had fallen from the roof.

He was rushed to the hospital and remained there for five days before succumbing to his injuries on March 15, 1977. He was survived by his wife and three children.

Burkhardt, born January 6, 1942, had joined the department on February 15, 1965, spending his career assigned to the Fifth Precinct. He carried Shield #1034.

Both the Suffolk County Police Department and the Suffolk County PBA posted tributes on Facebook to mark the anniversary. The PBA honored Burkhardt's "life and sacrifice," noting he died in the line of duty "while serving his community" and "despite every effort" to save his life. "We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends and express our heartfelt gratitude for his selfless service and dedication," the PBA post concluded.

Burkhardt's name appears alongside more than a dozen other officers on the Suffolk County Police memorial roll, among them Craig L. Capolino of the Third Precinct, who died of 9/11-related cancer after serving in the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the September 11 attacks.

For Burkhardt, there was no suspect, no crime confirmed, only a noise in the dark and a officer doing exactly what the job demanded.