Trooper Scott Graham's body was found inside his cruiser on a Garden State Parkway exit ramp at about 7:30 a.m., state police said. On June 6, Trooper Marc Castellano was struck and killed nearby on Interstate 195 while assisting in a search for two people believed to have abandoned a vehicle.
"The tragic death of Trooper Graham today deepens the wound that the New Jersey State Police family suffered from the recent death of Trooper Castellano," State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes said. "We are again offering our support to another family coping with a tragic end to a loved one's life."
The 35-year-old Graham is survived by a wife and three young children, police said.
He graduated from the state police academy in 2001 and eventually stood out for his efforts in the agency's trooper coach program, which pairs trainers with new troopers for 60 days before they are sent out on their own, troopers union head David Jones said Wednesday.
Graham performed so well that he was assigned to the state police training academy in Sea Girt to set protocols for other trooper coaches, Jones said.
"It's a pretty prestigious job, and it's a pretty cumbersome job," Jones said. "A lot of guys want to make the commitment, but it's a real serious obligation and not necessarily a ton of fun. He was a high performer."
Another officer was the first person to stop when he saw Graham's marked patrol car Wednesday.
Jones would not speculate on what effect, if any, Castellano's death may have had on Graham. The 29-year-old Castellano's funeral was Saturday.
"We are an organization that is a family and that embraces its history," Jones said. "We will suck it up and tomorrow morning there will be 1,000 troopers out there protecting the public and another 1,000 doing investigations, and we'll be praying for Marc and praying for Scotty."
