Off-duty police officer dies in motorcycle crash near South Philadelphia stadiums

An off-duty Philadelphia police officer died in a motorcycle crash Tuesday night in South Philadelphia.

The Police Department identified the victim as Thomas Munz Jr., 27 — a four-year veteran on the force who was assigned to the 18th District in West Philadelphia.

According to police, the officer was riding a 2011 black Kawasaki Ninja southbound on the 3300 block of South Broad Street around 6:40 p.m. when he came into contact with the rear driver’s side door of an SUV. The impact ejected Munz from his bike into the roadway, police said. Medics pronounced him dead on scene shortly before 7 p.m.

The driver of the second vehicle, a 2018 gray Chevrolet Equinox, remained on the scene. A police spokesperson, Officer Tanya Little, said the crash investigation is ongoing.

Munz was one of two police officers who shot and killed Walter Wallace Jr. in West Philadelphia — a shooting captured on video that gained national attention and led to days of protests across the city. On Oct. 26, 2020, Munz and his partner responded to 911 calls from Wallace’s family members who said the 27-year-old had become violent while in the throes of a mental health episode.

Wallace approached both officers while holding a knife. After ordering him to drop the knife nearly two dozen times, the officers fired 14 shots at Wallace in front of his family’s home.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia police had launched a plan years ago to equip all patrol officers with Tasers. It never happened.

The incident led the Police Department to promise to equip all police officers with Tasers — which neither Munz nor his partner had at the time. The department also vowed to reform its mental health crisis response, including rolling out a new script for 911 operators and implementing a co-responder program that dispatches specialists to mental health crises along with police. Last October, the city settled a $2.5 million wrongful-death lawsuit with Wallace’s family.

Munz entered the police force in 2017. Public records indicate he resided in South Philadelphia about a mile from where the crash occurred.

A spokesperson for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, the union that represents the city’s officers, said it “had nothing to add on the death of Officer Munz.”

District Attorney Larry Krasner issued a statement Tuesday offering condolences to Munz’s family as well as members of the department who are grieving the loss of their loved one and colleague.

“The events leading up to the crash are currently being investigated, and we stand ready to support the PPD and other involved agencies as needed,” Krasner said.

Traffic fatalities have skyrocketed in Philadelphia and other cities over the last two years — spiking 88% between 2019 and 2020, even as the pandemic brought few cars on the road.

Krasner added that “public agencies at all levels of government must simply do much more, and faster, to improve road safety for everyone and reduce these often preventable tragedies.”

During the city’s regular gun violence news conference Wednesday, Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw offered condolences and addressed questions about Munz’s involvement in the Wallace shooting.

Outlaw reiterated that the department had ruled Munz and his partner to be justified in using deadly force, while noting that the fatal incident highlighted “process gaps” like the lack of mental health protocols.

She asked for patience as authorities continue to investigate the crash.

“Quite frankly, we’re all still processing,” Outlaw said. “A lot of folks here are grieving. ... We look forward to an expeditious investigation, but this is a time that as a community all of us are collectively mourning.”