Holly MatkinPine Grove, PA – Pennsylvania Parole Board Parole Supervisor Ronald “Ron” Spangler died in the line of duty on July 15 after he crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer while on his way to work, according to police.
The 54-year-old parole supervisor was traveling southbound on Interstate 81 near mile marker 99.8 in his Dodge Caravan shortly before 8 a.m. on July 15 when a tractor-trailer slowed down in front of him, Skook News reported.
Parole Supervisor Spangler crashed into the back of the truck, causing his vehicle to become trapped beneath the rear bumper guard of the tractor-trailer, according to WBRE.
He was severely injured in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Parole Supervisor Spangler, a 20-year U.S. Army veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, had been with the Pennsylvania Parole Board for several years, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
He was assigned to the Harrisburg District Office at the time of his death.
Investigators said Parole Supervisor Spangler was on his way to work when the fatal crash occurred, The Standard-Journal reported.
He leaves behind his significant other, as well as his three daughters and three grandchildren, according to his obituary.
Parole Supervisor Spangler is also survived by his mother, sister, nephews, and his significant other’s two children and five grandchildren.
Approximately 2,000 people attended Parole Supervisor Spangler’s memorial service on July 21, The Standard-Journal reported.
“Our department is very close knit and Ron was a very well respected worker of the management team,” Department of Corrections Office of Reentry Deputy Secretary Kelly Evans told the paper.
“Everyone could go to him any time they needed something. The outpouring of love and support we see here today is a tribute to his military service and his career with the Department of Corrections.”
We are heartbroken to inform you of the death of Parole Supervisor Ronald D. Spangler, Jr. of the Pennsylvania Parole Board in Pennsylvania.
End of Watch: Friday, July 15, 2022 pic.twitter.com/t5ut8ntx7c
— Thin Blue Line USA (@thinbluelineUSA) August 30, 2022
🔹 Blessed Are The Peacemakers 🔹
Parole Supervisor Ronald D. Spangler, Jr.
Pennsylvania Parole Board, Pennsylvania
EOW: Friday, July 15, 2022#EnoughIsEnough #OfficerDown #EOW #ThinBlueLine pic.twitter.com/ByzYbjmXLX
— National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) August 30, 2022
Our sympathies are with @PAparole and the family and friends of Parole Supervisor Ronald Spangler Jr. who was killed in a vehicle crash in Pine Grove Township. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. #LODD #EOW @ATFPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/gByq71L1td
— ATF HQ (@ATFHQ) August 29, 2022
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Pennsylvania Parole Board Parole Supervisor Ronald “Ron” Spangler, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.
Sandy Malone
