North Reading joins Lowell to mark 30 years since fatal 1996 plane crash

The Town of North Reading announced coverage of a memorial ceremony held Tuesday, Oct. 20, marking the 30th anniversary of a plane crash that killed four Lowell Police officers, North Reading Police Officer Robert Marchionda, and three civilians on Oct. 20, 1996.

Well over 100 people attended the ceremony at JFK Plaza in Lowell, which included a wreath-laying, a flyover by the Massachusetts State Police Airwing, and remarks from Lowell Superintendent Greg Hudon, Deputy Superintendent Mark LeBlanc, and Detective Lt. Joe Murray. The Lowell Police Honor Guard and North Reading Police Honor Guard flanked an image of the five officers during the ceremony.

North Reading Police Chief Mark Zimmerman spoke about Officer Marchionda, with whom he worked his first-ever shift with North Reading Police. "We didn't have Field Training Officers back then, but he was a mentor to me and many others," Zimmerman said at the ceremony. He added, "I remember on my very first day of work, Officer Robert Marchionda was patrolling North Reading with me, and he set an example that even those who didn't know him will benefit from remembering. From serving with SWAT, to serving his community and trying to help others, he was a leader and a man whose name we will never forget in North Reading."

Marchionda was a SWAT team member who received a total of 38 citations for his work with police in North Reading and Miami, and served as a mentor to younger officers.

Also lost in the crash were retired Sgt. John F. Sullivan Jr., Capt. Steven A. Smith, Officer David A. Seamans and Officer Donald E. Brill of the Lowell Police Department, along with pilot Michael Burns of Maine and veterans Barton Gaffney and John Gaffney.

The Lowell Police Department's two youngest officers, both recent graduates of the Lowell Police Academy, laid a wreath in honor of those lost.

Source: Town of North Reading announcement, October 20, 2026.