Richard Benjamin Snyder was a New York State Police Investigator and a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran who was killed in an ambush in the autumn of 1984. A decade-long law enforcement veteran, he arrived at a residence on Corn Field Road in Mamakating after 8:00 p.m. when a man he had previously arrested shot him three times with a .222 caliber rifle, killing him at the scene.

After the killing the assailant placed Investigator Snyder’s body in the trunk of Snyder’s patrol car and drove to New York City. Snyder’s abandoned patrol car was found near Wards Island and his body was discovered in the trunk on October 2, 1984. The assailant, who reportedly had threatened Snyder and had been released on bail for conspiracy and attempted robbery, later took his own life by hanging near Princeton, New Jersey. Snyder was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Does anyone have information about Snyder’s final assignment in Mamakating or knew him and can share details that might shed more light on this case?