Patrolman Keith E. Neumann, 24, was killed during a SWAT drug raid in the pre-dawn hours of August 3, 1989, at an apartment at 147 19th Avenue in Irvington, New Jersey. A three-year member of the Essex County Police Department who also volunteered with the South Orange Rescue Squad and Police Reserves, Neumann had been on the team executing the warrant when a fellow officer’s shotgun was accidentally discharged in a narrow hallway. The blast struck him in the side, below his protective vest, and he died at the scene. He had been married only a few weeks earlier.

Investigators determined the shooting was an accident and no criminal charges were filed against the officer whose weapon discharged. The death was treated as friendly fire and remains a significant loss noted by the department and community.