MIDDLEBURG, Pa. — A national traveling memorial paid tribute to Middleburg's former police chief. Tony Jordan died from complications related to COVID-19 last year.
Police officers from Snyder and Union Counties escorted the vehicle through Middleburg Wednesday afternoon. The End of Watch Ride pays tribute to law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.
"This is day 57 for us. We are on the road 79 days. We will have a little over 23,000 miles, and we're going to be visiting 268 departments to honor 608 beautiful men and women," said Jagrut Shah, chairman of Beyond the Call of Duty, the nonprofit from Washington that organized the tour.
The group is in Middleburg, paying tribute to former Police Chief Tony Jordan, who died from COVID-19 last year. Jordan was believed to have contracted the virus while on duty.
"We sincerely appreciate them making us part of their tour. Chief Jordan was a staple, a pillar in the community. That's evident by the turnout here today," said Middleburg Police Chief Mark Bailey.
Jordan was on the force for more than 40 years.
"It's nice they have this in memory of him, and Beyond the Call of Duty, I want to thank them for coming and all the people who showed up. It's an honor to celebrate," said Tony's brother Gary Jordan.
Tony's fiancée Michelle Keister believes he would have been honored to be part of this memorial.
"He was not the center of attention. He always took the back seat. He's probably blessing us right now for doing this," Keister said.
The trailer features pictures of more than 600 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty last year. This is the fourth year for the ride.
The group was also in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday to honor a member of the Wilkes-Barre Police Department. Sgt. Christopher Mortensen died last December, also from complications related to COVID-19.
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