A young state trooper, just 24 years old when he died in an accident in his patrol car, will be memorialized under legislation introduced by state Assemblyman Ron Dancer.
The bill (A-4105) designates a stretch of Interstate 195 in Upper Freehold Township as the “State Trooper Anthony A. Raspa Memorial Highway.”
“Trooper Raspa is being remembered for the life he lived, not the tragedy that took his life,” said Dancer (R-Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex, Burlington). “He was an honorable and courageous young leader who dedicated his life to serving others. It is fitting to honor his memory in recognition for his commitment to serve and protect the residents of New Jersey.”
Raspa, barely 18 months out of the New Jersey State Police Academy, was fatally injured on May 30, 2015, when his cruiser struck a deer on Interstate 195 in Upper Freehold Township. That stretch of the highway will bear his name under Dancer’s bill, according to a press release.
“We appreciate the due recognition for those who serve, protect our citizenry, and have made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Christopher Burgos, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association. “To remember those who have upheld the law and constitution of this great state and nation, and our way of life, is both honorable and the right thing to do.”
