John J. Carey was appointed to the NYPD on April 12, 1881, and first assigned to what was, at the time, the “Church Street Station” in lower Manhattan. His other commands included the 16th Precinct, the 19th Precinct, which was in present-day Chelsea, and on May 25, 1892, he was transferred to “the Central Office” to which he was assigned at the time of his death.
Carey had been on the case of a known robber, James De Blanche, also known as David Wheeler, from Chicago. Carey had arrested him numerous times, but the perp was still on the loose. Wheeler was described by newspapers as “an expert till tapper” (a person who robs cash registers of stores, restaurants, and other establishments, often while an accomplice distracts the salesclerk). He was also known for rolling drunks. He was wanted for the jewel robbery of a West 51st Street home.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. on November 3, 1892, Det. Carey and his partner, Det. Sgt. George Doran, spotted De Blanche on the northwest corner of West 29th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. The partners were noticed by the perp, who slipped into a nearby saloon. Carey waited at the front door, while Doran waited at the side entrance. When De Blanche exited the building, he had his .38 caliber British bulldog revolver drawn and cocked, and immediately shot Carey, who was hit in the abdomen. According to reports, Carey still grabbed the perp by the collar, and Doran ran to the fray. Before De Blanche got off a second shot, Doran was able to nail the perp, and a responding Policeman clubbed De Blanche with a nightstick. With two other responding Detectives, the Officers subdued De Blanche and took him into custody.
Det. Carey was 42 years old. His career was described by the Long Island Traveler in 1892, as one that, “had many notable achievements …” with his best work being the arrest and conviction of the notorious “Liverpool Jack.”
Carey was married to wife Bridget T. Conway Carey, and the couple had five children: Lucy (age 17); John J. (age 10); Benjamin S. (age seven); Eugene M. (age four); and Helen L. (seven months old). The family lived at 201 West 77th Street in Manhattan. Before joining the NYPD, Carey was a livery stable keeper in Southold, where he is buried at St. Patrick’s Cemetery. Funeral services were first held at his home, as was often the custom in the 19th century, but then a large contingent of friends, family, and colleagues traveled to Southold for church services, his formal police funeral, and his burial. Read more about the death of Det. Carey, which appeared on the front page of the New York Times in the November 4, 1892 edition:
