Lowell and North Reading Police Departments Remember Officers Lost in Plane Crash 25 Years Ago

Four Lowell Police Officers and a North Reading Police Officer who were among eight men killed in a plane crash in Canada on Oct. 20, 1996, are depicted in a painting in front of the Lowell Police Department on Wednesday. (Photo Courtesy Lowell Police Department and North Reading Police Department)

LOWELL — Lowell Police Superintendent Raymond Kelly Richardson and North Reading Police Chief Michael Murphy would like to share that their departments gathered together Wednesday to remember four Lowell Police Officers and a North Reading Officer who lost their lives in a tragic plane crash 25 years ago today.

Members of both departments were joined by friends and family members of the fallen.

Retired Lowell Sgt. John F. Sullivan Jr.; Lowell Capt. Steven Smith; Lowell Patrolman Donald Brill; Lowell Patrolman David Seamans; and North Reading Officer Robert Marchionda were among eight men who lost their lives on Oct. 20, 1996.

A wreath stands next to a stone marker memorializing the four Lowell Police Officers lost in the plane crash in front of the Lowell Police Department. (Photo Courtesy Lowell Police Department and North Reading Police Department)

The five police officers, along with contractor John Gaffney, his son, Barton Gaffney, and pilot Michael Burns all died instantly when the twin-engine charter plane that was carrying them home from a hunting trip went down in New Brunswick, Canada.

The officers were remembered with personal stories told by Superintendent Richardson and former Lowell Police Superintendent Edward Davis III — who led the department at the time of the crash.

“We will never forget them,” Superintendent Richardson said of the fallen. “I made Oct. 20 a day on which every officer in the City of Lowell will wear a black band over their badge in honor of those lost. As the people who worked with these officers near the end of their careers, I hope they know that the officers who come after us will always remember these fallen officers, and how important they were to us.”

Chief Murphy served with the North Reading Police Department Honor Guard at the memorial event.

“The loss of Officer Marchionda will never be forgotten by the North Reading Police Department,” Chief Murphy said. “We are honored to join our law enforcement family members from Lowell Police to remember those lost.”

*The North Reading Police Department Honor Guard. (Photo Courtesy Lowell Police Department and North Reading Police Department)*

A memorial wreath was laid next to a stone monument that honors the officers in front of Lowell Police Headquarters. Retired Lowell Police Capt. Kevin Sullivan and Dracut Police Lt. Jonathan Seamans — both of whom lost their fathers in the crash — laid the wreath.

Flowers were presented to the officers’ families. The Massachusetts State Police Airwing conducted a flyover at the conclusion of the ceremony.

“The loss of these four active-duty officers in Lowell in one day as we experienced 25 years ago is an unfathomable tragedy,” said Lowell City Manager Eileen Donoghue. “All of these years later, and after a full generation has come and gone from the Lowell Police Department, we still feel the pain of this event and the legacy of the men that we lost. Through the example they set during their lifetimes, they made an indelible impact on all those who knew them and served alongside them.”

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