'Friend And A Brother:' Tears Over NJ Cop's Death After Crash

NEW JERSEY – Edward Nortrup was a "friend" and "brother" to many. And recently, he became a father to a daughter who is now 15 months old.

Now the New Jersey law enforcement community, as well as his young family, are grieving over the 39-year-old's tragic death after a weekend crash.

A GoFundMe page was set up by Roselle Park PBA Local 27, saying "those fortunate enough to have known or worked with Officer Nortrup will remember him fondly as a caring, compassionate and kindhearted person."

"Patrolman Nortrup was a well-respected member of the law-enforcement community, and will be sorely missed," the Roselle Park Police Department said on its Facebook page. "We would ask that you respect the privacy of the family during this time of grieving."

The off-duty police officer, an Aberdeen resident, fatally shot himself Sunday after getting in a car accident in Matawan, prosecutors said.

Visitation will be held Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Mastapeter Funeral Home, 400 Faitoute Avenue in Roselle Park. Funeral services will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at the same location. Family and friends may arrive at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Interment will be at St. Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia.

The incident happened at approximately 12:01 p.m. on Sunday near 208 Broad St. in Matawan when police responded to a single-vehicle collision involving the 39-year-old, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

The driver appeared to have lost control of his vehicle and struck two parked cars, prosecutors said.

His car then proceeded to partially rollover before coming to a final stop, prosecutors said. As first responders left the vehicle to get equipment to help with the extraction, the driver located a firearm and fatally shot himself in the head, prosecutor said.

Nortrup, who served in the Roselle Park Police Department since 2007, was known for being a well-respected and generous officer. His GoFundMe page said that, while serving as a member of the Union County Emergency Response Team, Nortrup was deployed to Puerto Rico immediately following Hurricane Maria.

More than $8,000 had been raised for him by Monday.

He graduated from the John H. Stamler Police Academy in Scotch Plains in 2007. He served in the detective bureau and in community policing, both in Roselle Park and on the Union County Emergency Response Team, according to his obituary.

Surviving is his wife of four years, Esmeira; daughter, Evelyn; his parents, John R. and Carol (Coulter) Nortrup; brother, John R. and wife Lauren; sister, Kristen Campos; uncle, William R. Nortrup; aunt, Ellen Vengelis; nieces, Kayla, Madison, Gia and Ava; and many other family and friends.

Others paid tribute to Nortrup on social media: