ThinBlueNews Memorial Wall
Trooper Bradley Ritger
Wisconsin State Patrol
End of Watch: Friday, October 2, 2026
DUNN COUNTY, Wis. — ThinBlueNews remembers Trooper Bradley Ritger of the Wisconsin State Patrol, whose End of Watch was Friday, October 2, 2026. He was 29.
The Officer Down Memorial Page classifies Ritger's line-of-duty death as a fall. ODMP records that he died from injuries sustained on September 21 while responding to a vehicle pursuit on Interstate 94 in Dunn County.
Injured while deploying a tire-deflation device
According to a Wisconsin State Patrol statement reproduced by WMTV 15 News, the pursuit began at about 4:55 a.m. after a vehicle fled from another trooper. Ritger deployed a tire-deflation device on an I-94 bridge deck west of the Dunn County–Eau Claire County line. As he moved to a position of cover, he fell from the bridge onto 490th Avenue below.
The statement said responders administered lifesaving measures, including CPR, before Ritger was transported to a medical facility. The pursued vehicle struck the tire-deflation device, later stopped with flat tires and its driver was arrested.
Death announced October 3
WMTV 15 and WSAW reported on October 3 that Wisconsin transportation and State Patrol officials announced Ritger had died from his injuries the previous day.
The agency said Ritger joined the State Patrol as a member of its 67th Recruit Class and served in the Northwest Region for nearly five years, primarily in Dunn County. It said he was certified as a general law-enforcement instructor, a mobile field force team member and squad leader, and a salvage vehicle inspector. Before joining the State Patrol, he served with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for nearly three years.
Investigation status
The initial State Patrol statement said the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the Dunn County Sheriff's Office and the Wisconsin State Patrol were investigating the incident. ThinBlueNews found no final investigative determination in the reviewed sources and is not assigning fault beyond the facts authorities released.
Trooper Bradley Ritger is remembered for his service to Wisconsin and for the family, friends, colleagues and community who now carry his memory.
End of Watch
Trooper Bradley Ritger
Wisconsin State Patrol
Wisconsin
End of Watch: Friday, October 2, 2026
Age: 29
State Patrol service: Nearly five years
Prior Wisconsin Department of Corrections service: Nearly three years
Cause listed by ODMP: Fall
Investigation announced by: Wisconsin DOJ Division of Criminal Investigation, Dunn County Sheriff's Office and Wisconsin State Patrol
Sources and visual note
- ODMP: Trooper Bradley Ritger
- WMTV 15: Wisconsin State Trooper dies after fall from I-94 bridge
- WSAW: Wisconsin State Patrol trooper dies after fall from bridge
- WMTV 15: initial incident report and State Patrol statement
Visual note: The image is a contextual Wisconsin State Patrol vehicle photograph by Wikimedia Commons user Riche23, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. ThinBlueNews cropped the photograph, added a memorial treatment and labels, and releases this adapted memorial image under CC BY-SA 4.0. It does not depict the September 21 incident or Trooper Ritger. Use does not imply endorsement by the Wisconsin State Patrol, WisDOT, Wikimedia Commons or the photographer.
ThinBlueNews will update this stable memorial if authorities release materially new verified information. Corrections may be submitted through our corrections and editorial standards page.