UPDATED: 3:20 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Andy Chan, the beloved Philadelphia highway patrol officer who was critically injured in a 2019 crash and died earlier this month, was laid to rest on Tuesday following a large police procession and ceremony.
A police procession brought Chan’s casket from the John Givnish Funeral Home in the Northeast to Philadelphia police headquarters early Tuesday morning, then on foot to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
He will be buried at Laurel Hill West Cemetery.
The ceremony is available to watch via stream here, or in the player below:
Chan became an officer in 1996, working in the 39th District before achieving his dream of joining the Highway Patrol in 2004.
In January 2019, Chan was riding his police motorcycle to work when he was hit by a van near Pennypack Park. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was placed on a ventilator for weeks. He was eventually able to breathe on his own but required around-the-clock care.
Police officials announced his death on Dec. 2. He was 55.
The funeral mass lasted just under two hours. During the service, Chan's wife Teng addressed the gathering about her husband's love for the job, his family and his community.
“We all know Andy as a super cop, but he wasn't just a super cop,” she said. “He was a family man. He loved his family with no bounds. He gave them gifts. He spent time with them. He went to every holiday, every school event.”
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel awarded Chan the Medal of Excellence posthumously and renamed it after Chan.
“Some people become legends only after they leave us, but Andy was not one of those people,” said Bethel. “Andy lived as a legend in every district, in every story, countless stories and every life that he touched.”
Tuesday’s bitter cold didn’t stop hundreds of law enforcement members from showing up in support of the fallen officer.
“I think it’s important we’re all here to show unity and support for our brothers and sisters in Philadelphia as they would for us,” said Capt. Tim Reeves of the Lower Makefield Township Police Department in Bucks County. “I’ve been to a lot of these, unfortunately, and you’ll see the unity of the officers coming together nationwide.”
New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police Executive Vice President Bob Gries stood outside the church and served coffee and doughnuts as people attended the public viewing.
“Look at the name — it’s the Fraternal Order of Police. It’s the fraternalism. We’re all brothers and sisters doing the same job, same profession, putting our lives on the line every day. We have to come out and support one another. If we don’t support each other, how will others support us?” he said.
Chan was a 24-year veteran of the police department at the time of his injury. In addition to his wife, he is also survived by three children.