CAMDEN, NJ (KYW Newsradio) — A child abuse investigator for the Camden County Prosecutor’s office who was killed in the line of duty nearly 30 years ago is honored with the renaming of a street in Camden.
On April 20th, 1995, Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Investigator Jack McLaughlin was part of a law enforcement team that was attempting to serve an arrest warrant in a child abuse investigation along with two others — Haddon Heights Police Patrolman John Norcross, and his brother, Police Detective Richard Norcross. When shots suddenly rang out, all three were hit.
Richard was hurt, but his brother John and Mclaughlin later died. Richard recalls that day and says McLaughlin is a hero in every sense of the word.
“Jack sacrificed his life and he was lost to us all, but he did it heroically,” he said. “Did it saving the life of a little girl, a child. Because that was the type of person, that was the type of man Jack was.”
Mclaughlin’s widow, Kimberly, was on hand for the dedication of “Investigator Jack McLaughlin Way”, an access road to Camden County’s Prosecutor's office. She says with this honor, the memory of her late husband will live on.
“I really feel like the street being named for Jack will keep that legacy going that Jack and John [Norcross] are both leaving behind,” she said. “The story will get told over and over again.”