Crash kills state trooper on way to crime scene
Rising star's death is first on duty since '02
Friday, February 06, 2004
BY JONATHAN SCHUPPE
Star-Ledger Staff
A state trooper rushing to the scene of a convenience store heist early yesterday died after his cruiser skidded on a patch of ice and hit a utility pole.
Trooper Bertram T. Zimmerman III, 32, was one of several troopers investigating a string of convenience store holdups in South Jersey. When workers at a Wawa store in Dennis Township, Cape May County, reported they'd just been robbed, Zimmerman left a stakeout at another store and sped toward the scene, police said.
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He apparently lost control of his marked trooper car after hitting black ice on Route 83 near Route 9 in the township's Oceanview section, officials said. He died at the scene.
He was the first trooper killed on duty in more than a year.
"Trooper Zimmerman lost his life serving the public by doing a job that he loved," said State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes. "Losing one's life in the line of duty is a sacrifice that troopers risk every day we go to work. We will continue performing our duty, but right now, our thoughts and our support are going out to Trooper Zimmerman's wife and family."
Zimmerman, a newlywed, was a member of a Tactical Patrol Unit assigned to investigate a string of seven late-night convenience store holdups since December in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties, police said. Yesterday's patrols included stakeouts at Wawa stores in and around Dennis Township, one of many South Jersey towns without a local police department.
After Zimmerman's fatal crash, other troopers chased the suspect and arrested him in Middle Township, State Police said. Last night they charged the man, Middleton M. Dunmore, 34, of Atlantic City, with armed robbery, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, criminal restraint and weapons offenses. He was not charged with Zimmerman's death. He was being held in the Cape May County Jail pending arraignment in Superior Court.
Zimmerman had not been a trooper long. He joined the State Police in March 2001 at 29, old for a recruit. But his previous experience as a municipal police officer, and his confident determination, got him noticed by superiors.
"He just loved being a cop, whether it be local or state," said State Police Lt. Rick Tesauro, a Superior Officers Association official who also taught Zimmerman in a Seton Hall University master's degree course on public management. "He was the kind of guy who would work 24 hours a day if you let him. He had a big future at the State Police."
Born in Camden and raised in Gloucester Township, Zimmerman graduated from Rutgers University in 1995 with a degree in sociology, State Police said.
According to former colleagues, he made a living as a carpenter before paying his way through a local police academy. In June 1998, the Evesham Township Police Department hired him.
"He was always hustling," recalled Evesham Police Chief Joe Cornely. "He was only here for two years, but he was very active. He excelled at DWI enforcement. And he was a very conscientious officer. A lot of the guys here still remain friendly with him."
In September 2000, Zimmerman left Evesham for the State Police academy.
As a rookie trooper, Zimmerman bounced around stations in South Jersey before landing an assignment last spring with the Tactical Patrol Unit, an elite team of officers assigned to target high-accident stretches of roadways and areas of rampant crime. It was a rapid promotion.
"He had that knack, that innate ability, to be a good police officer," said Lt. Steve Flynn, president of the Superior Officers Association and a former commander. "He had a determination to see things through. He was a searcher for the truth."
Zimmerman was the first trooper to die on duty since Dec. 3, 2002, when Trooper Christopher S. Scales was struck by a truck during routine seat belt checks at a New Jersey Turnpike tollbooth in Carteret.
"Trooper Zimmerman truly served with fearless devotion," said Trooper David Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association.
Fuentes and Gov. James E. McGreevey visited Zimmerman's family yesterday. McGreevey ordered all state buildings to fly their flags at half-staff for the next week in honor of Zimmerman.
"He was a source of pride and inspiration to his fellow troopers, to his community and to his family," McGreevey said.
Jonathan Schuppe covers criminal justice. He can be reached at (609) 989-0398 or jschuppe@starledger.com