Thousands honor slain Jersey City Detective Joseph Seals at funeral

Thousands of police officers lined the streets of Jersey City in a cold rain to honor a police detective killed in an attack last week.

News 12 Staff

Dec 17, 2019, 4:51 PM

Updated 1,818 days ago

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Thousands of police officers lined the streets of Jersey City in a cold rain to honor a police detective killed in an attack last week.
A married father of five, Joseph Seals was killed in a confrontation near Bayview Cemetery with two attackers who then drove to a kosher market and killed three people inside before dying in a lengthy shootout with police.
A motorcade arrived at 10:30 a.m. at St. Aedan’s Church with Seals’ casket. Fellow officers lined the streets and stood at attention outside the church as the American flag-draped casket was brought inside.
Jersey City Director of Public Safety James Shea called Seals a model for other officers.
Many of the attendees have their own family members in law enforcement. Stefanie Philips’s brother serves on the Jersey City Street Crimes Unit.
"It's a nightmare,” says Phillips. “It's the worst nightmare for law enforcement family. They leave every day. We hope they come back after shift and unfortunately Detective Seals didn't get to go back to his family."
Bagpipers played after the funeral Mass was complete, followed by a rendition of Taps.
Seals was buried at a North Arlington cemetery – the town that he lived in with his family.
Authorities believe the attack at the market was fueled by anti-Semitism.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.
Watch the entire press conference
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