Photo courtesy of Officer Down Memorial Page
Henry E. A. Meyer (1886-1927) served with the NYPD and was assigned to the 54th Precinct, now the 104th Precinct, when he was killed while attempting to capture two robbery suspects.
He was known as "Big Hen" to distinguish him from his brother, Philip "Big Phil" Meyer, who was also a member of the NYPD. The brothers were called twins despite the difference in their ages, as they had joined the force together in January 1914. The two worked together at the same station for a period, and together and separately became known for their ability to break up gangs.
On September 16, 1927, Meyer was driving with his wife Tillie on Cypress Hills Street when someone stopped him to say he'd heard a woman screaming in the Beth-El Cemetery and had located and freed the two women, who had been locked in a crypt. They told Meyer they'd been robbed of money and jewelry at gunpoint by two men while visiting their father's mausoleum.
Driving with his wife to find a police call box, Meyer saw two suspicious-looking men, who denied any connection to the crime and agreed to let the women have a chance to look at them. Tillie went back to meet the women, and Meyer was going to take the men in his car, but when Tillie looked back, she saw them running off. She rushed back to the car, where a crowd had gathered around her husband. He has been shot multiple times. He died at Wyckoff Heights Hospital hours later.
Fellow officers from Meyer's 54th Precinct tracked down one of the suspects, who was identified by Tillie and the victims, and who had a piece from his shirt missing – the fabric was found gripped in Meyer's hand. He described the other assailant, who police tracked down through pawn shops. He admitted to the robbery as well, and police found the stolen items at a pawn shop he pointed them to.
A large crowd that included many police officers gathered in support as Meyer's casket was led from his home of Loubet Street Forest Hills to Lutheran Cemetery on September 20, 1927.
The two suspects, 18 and 22 years old, were convicted of second-degree murder and illegal weapons possession, and later for robbery as well. They were sent to Sing Sing, with the gunman sentenced 50 years to life, and his accomplice sentenced 45 years to life.
Council Member Robert Holden proposed co-naming this street in Meyer's honor in June 2023. A ceremony to dedicate the street was held on October 25, 2023.
Meyer's brother, Philip, passed away while on duty on June 19, 1929, as a result of heart disease. The street where he had lived in Glendale was co-named in his honor in December 2023.
"Minutes of the Proceedings for the Stated Meeting of Thursday, June 22, 2023 held on June 22nd 2023 and June 30th, 2023," New York City Council
"Heroes in Our Midst: Patrolman Henry E.A. Meyer and Detective Rodney Andrews," Juniper Park Civic, September 11, 2021
"Patrolman Henry E. A. Meyer," Officer Down Memorial Page, accessed July 17, 2025
Council Member Robert Holden (@bobholdennyc), "Today, the corner of 80th Avenue & Cypress Hills Street in Liberty Park has been renamed as 'Patrolman Henry E.A. Meyer Way.'…," Instagram, October 25, 2023
"A Hero's Funeral for Policeman Killed by Thugs!," Daily News, September 21, 1927, via Newspapers.com
"Victim of Thug's Bullets Was 'Terror of Gangsters,'" The Brooklyn Daily Times, September 18, 1927, via Brooklyn Newsstand