Highway sign honoring fallen state trooper unveiled

PHOTOGRAPHER: Marc Schultz

Ceremonial dedication of the “Sergeant Jeremy J. VanNostrand Memorial Highway” on Wednesday morning.

FULTONVILLE — State and local officials and family members of Sgt. Jeremy VanNostrand gathered Wednesday on the first anniversary of his death for the dedication of a sign commemorating the renaming of a portion of Route 5S “Sergeant Jeremy J. VanNostrand Memorial Highway.”

VanNostrand, who was 36 when he died, was killed on Nov. 27, 2018, as he arrived for work at the State Police barracks at 3003 Route 5S in Fultonville. He was in his personal vehicle, a Nissan Altima, and was stopped in the westbound lane, waiting to turn into the station when he was rear-ended by a box truck and pushed into the oncoming lane where he was then hit by a pickup truck that was headed east. The crash occurred at 7:45 a.m.

In July, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law renaming a stretch of Route 5S after VanNostrand.

State Sen. George Amedore, R-Rotterdam, and Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, both spoke at the dedication ceremony for the new sign. The two state legislators unveiled the sign together.

“One year ago, the VanNostrand family, the entire New York State Police family, and the community he served, were devastated by the loss of Trooper Jeremy VanNostrand,” Amedore said. “Today, we ensure his legacy, his service, and his love of community will be remembered and recognized as we formally dedicated the stretch of road that runs in front of the State Police barracks in the Town of Glen as the Sergeant Jeremy J. VanNostrand Memorial Highway.”

Santabarbara sponsored the legislation renaming the highway in New York State Assembly. He said the sign is both a tribute to VanNostrand’s life and his work.

“It’s fitting that this highway will serve as a tribute to the life of a man that gave of himself for the safety of others — a gentle reminder of an exceptional individual that we lost far too soon,” he said. “To his family, I extend my deepest condolences. We will always remember the difference he made in our community and our state. To all the members of the New York State Police thank you for your service, thank you for honoring a hero.”

There are now two roads in Montgomery County named after VanNostrand, each with its own sign honoring him.

On Nov. 8 Maple Avenue Extension, a Montgomery County road, was renamed by order of Montgomery County Executive Matt Ossenfort. VanNostrand was known to patrol that road in his duties as a state trooper.

A purple sign with the New York State Police seal and “N.Y.S.P Sergeant Jeremy J. VanNostrand Memorial Drive” printed on it was unveiled during the Nov. 8 ceremony.