On the afternoon of October 20, 1981, Nyack Police Officer Waverly Brown, 45, was killed while on duty during the aftermath of a brazen armored car robbery. Brown, known affectionately as Chipper and the department’s first Black officer after 15 years of service, was at a roadblock on an entrance ramp to the New York State Thruway when a U-Haul used by the robbers was intercepted following the heist at Nanuet Mall.

After a woman exited the cab and momentarily distracted officers, the U-Haul’s rear doors opened and heavily armed assailants emerged, firing automatic weapons. Officer Brown was struck and killed almost instantly at the scene; his partner, Sergeant Edward O’Grady, was mortally wounded and died soon after at a hospital. Several suspects connected to the robbery and the killings were captured and prosecuted in the subsequent investigation.

Brown’s death shocked the Nyack community and underscored the deadly violence tied to that robbery. If anyone knew Officer Brown or has information about his final hours, please share what you remember.