On July 4th, 1977, Jefferson Township Police Patrolman William A. Aldridge was on a security detail when he suffered critical injuries from being struck by a vehicle.

He had been working crowd control at a local holiday fireworks display before starting to direct traffic at a nearby 4-way intersection. Although it quickly got backed up with vehicles leaving the event, he kept things moving in good order. But then, once most of the traffic was safely through it, a car driven by a severely drug-impaired man came speeding through the intersection. That’s when it struck Patrolman Aldridge, and he was thrown into a nearby field.

William died of his injuries nine days later, on July 13th, 1977. The 20-year-old driver was charged with vehicular homicide.

Patrolman Aldridge was 69 years old at the time of his death, and had served with the Jefferson Township Police Department for eight years. He was survived by his wife and five brothers.

William was a U.S. Army World War II veteran.