Sergeant Samuel Harrison Hewitt

Samuel Harrison Hewitt

Sergeant Samuel Hewitt and Officer James Quigley were shot and killed following a pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

When the vehicle they were pursuing crashed at the intersection of Stenton Avenue and Sedgewick Street, the suspect fled on foot, then opened fire on Officers as they pursued him, killing Sergeant Hewitt and Officer Quigley.

The suspect was convicted of both murders and sentenced to life in prison. He was released from prison in 1972 and, two years later, murdered his foster mother. He was sentenced to life in prison for that murder as well.

Sergeant Hewitt was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 20 years. He was survived by his wife and three grown children.