Philadelphia officer remembered as ‘a bright light’ at funeral seven years after motorcycle crash

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Hundreds of police officers joined city leaders at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia on Tuesday morning to mourn the death of an officer killed in the line of duty.

Police highway patrol officer Andy Chan was injured almost seven years ago when he was struck while riding his motorcycle in Northeast Philadelphia. He finally succumbed to his injuries Dec. 2.

“We gather today for Andy Chan because he was special,” Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said to those gathered for the service. He said Chan was so special to so many people.

“To many he was Officer Chan. To the guys in the neighborhood, he was a nightmare that they hoped they would never meet. To highway patrol, he was the standard, and to everyone else, to all of us, he’s was simply Andy.”

“Some people become legends only after they leave us,” Bethel said. “But Andy was not one of those people. Andy lived as a legend.”

Mayor Cherelle Parker said Chan’s legacy will continue to live on in Philadelphia through his family.

“I thank you, the family, for sharing him with us, and we thank God that his light shines a little brighter in the city of Philadelphia because we can wrap our arms around his legacy,” Parker said.

The mayor extended an offer to the family for one of Chan’s children to be an intern with the mayor’s office.

“We want to ensure that same connection that your father displayed in serving the people of the city of Philadelphia, that you’re able to continue the legacy of leadership that was before you,” she said.

Chan’s wife Ping Chan spoke about how special a man her husband was.

“He mentored me. He brought out the best in me,” she said. “He believed in me and he saw something that I didn’t see,” she said.

Chan was on the scene of a fatal Amtrak accident in the Port Richmond neighborhood, pulling people to safety after the train derailed.

Bethel said Chan earned almost every medal the police department has to offer, and some multiple times. The department is renaming the police Medal of Excellence, which he was awarded posthumously, after him.

Chan was originally injured in a crash in 2019 when he was hit by a minivan along Rhawn Street between Roosevelt Boulevard and Frankford Avenue.

Chan was a 24-year veteran of the force. He leaves behind a wife and three children. An annual fundraiser for his care turned into a memorial last Friday night.