By Nick Vadala
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — Slain Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald will be honored at a funeral service in Philadelphia on Friday.
Fitzgerald, 31, was shot to death Saturday while investigating carjackings and robberies in an area near Temple’s campus. Miles Pfeffer, 18, of Bucks County, has been charged with the killing.
Described as a dedicated husband and father, Fitzgerald joined Temple’s police force in October 2021. Friends called him someone who cared deeply for Philadelphia, and worked to make the city a better and safer place.
Here is what you need to know about Fitzgerald’s funeral, which is set to take place Friday:
When is the funeral taking place?
A viewing will be held from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Center City. Fitzgerald’s body will be carried into the cathedral by pallbearers from Temple University Police Department, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said. The Cathedral’s rector, the Rev. G. Dennis Gill, will preside over the reception.
The funeral will start at 11:30 a.m. with words of remembrance. Fitzgerald’s pastor and uncle, Juan Marrero, of Crossroads Community Church, as well as Temple’s vice president of public safety, Jennifer Griffin, will speak, the archdiocese said. A Mass will follow and is expected to run into the early afternoon.
It is open to the public, but seating is being prioritized for family and police.
Following the service, Fitzgerald will be buried in a private ceremony at Forest Hills Cemetery in Huntingdon Valley.
A viewing was also held Thursday night at John F. Givnish Funeral Home in Northeast Philadelphia.
Where can the funeral be watched?
The funeral will be livestreamed by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia starting at 11:30 a.m. The feed can be viewed via the archdiocese’s Vimeo page.
What road closures will be in place?
Temporary traffic closures and detours will be in place around the Cathedral Basilica SS. Peter and Paul in order to “accommodate the hundreds of mourners traveling from all over the country” to attend the funeral, the city said.
Closures will begin Friday at 6 a.m., when the inner lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be restricted. Additionally, the area from 16th to 20th Streets and from Vine to Arch Streets will be closed to traffic. There will be limited access to the area for residents and businesses.
Officials plan to reopen all roads by 2 p.m. Friday following the service.
Is Fitzgerald being honored in other ways?
Temple University will pay for Fitzgerald’s funeral, and school trustees have raised more than $450,000 for his family. The university has also promised to provide free tuition for Fitzgerald’s five children.
“Officer Fitzgerald and his family are part of the Temple family, and the university is taking care of its family,” the university said in a statement.
Trustee Drew Katz’s company, Interstate Outdoor Advertising, as well as five other outdoor advertising firms, are also erecting billboards around the region to honor Fitzgerald. The first billboards have already gone up and show Fitzgerald alongside the quote “Forever a hero in our hearts.” In total, 50 to 100 billboards could be erected in his honor.
Additionally, a GoFundMe created on behalf of Fitzgerald’s family is accepting donations. It had raised more than $460,000 as of Thursday evening.
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EARLIER: Slain Pa. university police officer ‘cared about the community more than himself’