Fallen Fair Lawn Officer Mary Ann Collura To Be Honored April 17

FAIR LAWN, NJ — A memorial service later on this month will honor the life and sacrifice of Officer Mary Ann Collura.

Collura was shot and killed in the line of duty April 17, 2003. The man sought in her murder, Omar Marti, died three days later in a shootout with police in Florida.

Collura was the first woman police officer serving in Fair Lawn and, at the time, one of just five female officers ever killed in New Jersey, The New York Times reported shortly after her death.

The service is April 17 at 6 p.m. by the Police Memorial at the Fair Lawn Municipal Building.

The theme of the memorial ceremony is "15 Years," police said. Police are looking for people to share stories, funny experiences, or anything else about Collura. People may share at the service or they can send an email and police will share it.

Interested participants should email police chaplain David Boone at copchap2@aol.com.

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Photo: A memorial photo at a previous service held in memory of Officer Mary Ann Collura. She was shot and killed in the line of duty in April 2003. (Patch file photo)