TRENTON (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A New Jersey state trooper died Sunday during training for an elite unit at the state police headquarters outside Trenton, officials said.
Trooper Marcellus Bethea, who was assigned to Moorestown Station in Burlington County, died suddenly, state police announced on X.
"Trooper Bethea served with the New Jersey State Police for over eight years and was a member of the 156th State Police Class," the department said.
The cause of his death hasn't been released. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote on X late Sunday that an investigation was underway and that he and his wife Tammy Murphy were "deeply saddened" by the sudden passing.
“Trooper Bethea showed a passion and spark for service from a young age, participating in New Jersey State Police Trooper Youth Week while a student at Burlington Regional High School, and later graduating from the State Police Academy as part of the 156th class," Murphy wrote.
"He embodied Honor, Duty, and Fidelity in its highest form every day and in everything he did," the governor continued.
State A.G. Matthew Platkin said Bethea was training to join the elite TEAMS Unit. He called his death a "devastating loss" for New Jersey.
"State troopers, and other members of law enforcement, enter their profession knowing its risks but put themselves on the line because they believe in serving the residents of our state," Platkin said. "We owe Trooper Bethea our deepest gratitude and can honor his memory by living our lives with his same reverence for Honor, Duty, and Fidelity."