N.J. Admin. Code § Executive Order No. 328 (2023)
Governor Philip D. Murphy
Executive Order No. 328 (2023)
An Order that Flags Be Flown at Half-Staff in Recognition of the Passing Anniversary of State Trooper Werner Foerster
Issued: May 1, 2023.
Effective: May 1, 2023.
WHEREAS, for more than a century, the men and women of the New Jersey State Police have protected and served the residents of our State through three core values--honor, duty, and fidelity; and
WHEREAS, each year at the Survivors of the Triangle Memorial Ceremony--as on every day--we honor over seventy members of the State Police who gave their lives upholding this tradition; and
WHEREAS, May 2, 2023 will mark fifty years since the murder of one of the troopers whose memory we honor: Werner Foerster; and
WHEREAS, Trooper Foerster was a resident of Old Bridge, New Jersey who joined the New Jersey State Police as a graduate of the 82nd class of the New Jersey State Police Academy on July 24, 1970 and was assigned to the New Brunswick Station as a member of Troop "D"; and
WHEREAS, Trooper Foerster also was stationed at the Toms River, Colts Neck, Fort Dix, and Keyport stations throughout his career as a New Jersey State Trooper; and
WHEREAS, Trooper Foerster was a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served in the United States Army from December 8, 1963, until December 8, 1965; and
WHEREAS, Trooper Foerster served with honorable devotion, remarkable courage, exceptional professionalism, loyalty, and commitment to the finest ideals and traditions of the United States Army and the New Jersey State Police; and
WHEREAS, Trooper Foerster served proudly as part of the finest State Police force in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Trooper Foerster was murdered at the age of 34 on May 2, 1973, having suffered fatal gunshot wounds while performing his duties as a New Jersey State Trooper on the New Jersey Turnpike; and
WHEREAS, Trooper Foerster was a loving husband and father, whose memory lives in the hearts of his family, friends, fellow members of the New Jersey State Police, and all law enforcement officers; and
WHEREAS, Trooper Foerster lived a life of service and sacrifice where he sought to protect the freedoms of our nation and to keep our communities safe, and therefore it is appropriate and fitting for the State of New Jersey to mark the 50th anniversary of his passing and to honor his memory; and
WHEREAS, it is with deep sadness that we continue to mourn the loss of Trooper Foerster, and extend our sincere sympathy to his family, friends, and fellow members of the New Jersey State Police;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
N.J. Admin. Code Executive Order No. 328 (2023)