Former Nyack police chief who served during Brinks Robbery passes away
Coffey's death came just one day before dozens gathered to mark the anniversary of the Oct. 20, 1981 so called Brinks Robbery.
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Thomas Coffey was chief of the Nyack Police Department when the deadly Brinks Robbery occurred. Coffey's family tells News12 the former police chief passed away Saturday at the age of 94, and the memories of that terrible day never left him.
Coffey's death came just one day before dozens gathered to mark the anniversary of the Oct. 20, 1981 so called Brinks Robbery. Members of the radical organizations the Black Liberation Army and the Weather Underground staged a robbery at the Nanuet National Bank at the Nanuet Mall.
The group stole $1.6 million from a Brinks armored truck and fatally shot Brinks security guard Peter Paige. Later, at a roadblock entrance to the New York State Thruway in Nyack, Sgt. Edward O'Grady, and officer Waverly Brown were shot and killed when gunmen jumped out of a U-haul truck. A police detective was also wounded along with several others.
Wake services for Thomas Coffey are scheduled for this Wednesday at the Hannemann Funeral Home in Pearl River, funeral services are scheduled for Thursday at Saint Adens Church also in Pearl River.
