Gerard Benderoth, 48, shot and killed himself Wednesday morning after being pulled over by the FBI in Haverstraw, New York reports the Daily Mail.
He was pulled over near Thiells Elementary School by multiple FBI agents, but the FBI has yet to release the reasoning for the traffic stop.
A public information officer for FBI New York, released only this short statement:
“While conducting a law enforcement vehicle stop this morning, FBI agents and task force officers approached a man who was the only occupant of a stopped vehicle. During the approach, the man drew a handgun and shot himself. He died of the self-inflicted wound.”
Benderoth, nicknamed “The White Rhino” due to his 370 pound frame and weightlifting success, was possibly pulled over by the FBI due to an ongoing investigation into a quadruple murder that occurred last year.
Law enforcement sources cited Benderoth’s close friendship with former Westchester County officer Nicholas Tartaglione, who was accused of a quadruple murder in December last year.
The Daily Voice reports:
Benderoth spent a decade with the NYPD and was among the responders to the 9/11 attacks. He remained at Ground Zero for three straight days recovering bodies.
Nicknamed “The White Rhino,” the 370-pound Benderoth finished among the leaders in the America’s Strongest Man competition three years in a row, from 2006-2008.
After moving to the Haverstraw police department, he retired last year. He and his family lived in Stony Point.