OCEAN GATE – An Ocean Gate police officer will be riding for a fellow borough officer.
Patrolman Steven Shan will be riding in honor of fallen officer Jason Marles in the Police Unity Tour May 9 to Washington, D.C.
“I am excited to be participating in the Police Unity Tour with Chapter 10!” Shan said via his fundraising page. “This year I will be riding for Jay Marles #271, an officer at Ocean Gate Police Department. Jay was known by many and was tragically killed in a car accident in 2010. The Police Unity Tour’s motto is, ‘We Ride for Those Who Died,’ and we raise awareness about America’s fallen officers. I hope you will support me by making a donation to my page today.”
Marles was killed on the Garden State Parkway early Thanksgiving morning in 2010 by a driver impaired with alcohol and cocaine. Marles was returning home from an overtime drunk driving check shift when his vehicle was struck, causing it to flip and crash before it burst into flames.
Marles was 32 and left behind two children.
The Police Unity Tour started in Florham Park, New Jersey, in 1997. It started as an 18-man riding team from the police department to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. It’s since grown to 2,500 in nine chapters that rides annually.
Last year, riders raised $2.6 million. Nearly $23 million has been raised over the years and donated to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
This year, 28 officers have been killed, 18 of those firearms related, 7 traffic related.
For more information on the tour, visit policeunitytour.com.
At press time, Shan has raised 33 percent of his $1,950 pledge. To donate to Officer Shan’s fundraiser, visit bit.ly/2pdDKGj.
