Trooper John W. Staas New Jersey State Police December 2, 1961 State Trooper John Stass, 34, was fatally injured when his patrol car collided with a truck, early on a Saturday morning, on the White Horse Pike near Elwood, NJ. A resident of Cologne, he was assigned to the Hammonton Troop. He was a  seven year veteran with the State Police and left behind his wife, Lillian, and four children. Close Window