DUBLIN, CA — It has been almost two decades since the murder but he talks about it like it happened yesterday. The heartbreaking details he shares when he recalls the night his beat partner was killed in the line of duty makes it clear that scar that remains will forever be achingly painful for retired Deputy James Del Rio.
On December 12, 1998, Del Rio had just gone off duty after working the swing shift in Dublin when Deputy John Monego was ambushed and shot while responding to a report of a robbery at a restaurant just a short distance away.
Monego, who had also worked the swing shift, was working overtime for a few hours after someone called in sick when the call came out. Del Rio said he offered to take the shift but Monego told him he could use the money for Christmas.
“That could have been me,” Del Rio said.
The two were beat partners and best friends. After hearing the “officer needs help” code that no law enforcement officer ever wants to hear, Del Rio grabbed his flashlight and service weapon and jumped into the patrol car with the sergeant to respond. The duo ended up pursuing the suspect’s car, which abruptly stopped on Dublin Boulevard near San Ramon Road after missing the freeway entrance.
Fueled with adrenaline, Del Rio chased one of the suspects who ran from the car and held him on the ground until help arrived. He would later learn that he had captured the man who shot his friend to death execution-style.
“At least I was able to get to the scene,” Del Rio recalls. “That was tough. It was a very emotional time. We had just spoken before it happened.”
Monego was the first police officer to die in the line of duty in Dublin. He left behind a wife and young son. A tree lighting ceremony at Dublin Police Services pays homage to him every December. A street in Dublin named after Monego reminds everyone of his sacrifice.
Seven months before the twentieth anniversary of his friend’s senseless slaying, Del Rio quietly set out on a 3,500-mile bike ride to pay tribute to Monego. On May 24, Del Rio left the Embarcadero in San Francisco and rode across nine states over the course of 73 days. He told only a few friends of his plans. Those friends kept him company along the way texting and checking in on his progress.
“The bike ride was not just a tribute,” Del Rio told Patch. “It was to clear my head. It still sticks with me 20 years later.”
The 53-year-old Hayward resident camped most of the days on the road and only took five days off to rest. Occasionally, he stopped at a hotel to take advantage of the air conditioning and a good shower.
Del Rio said he rode through dry heat, up and over massive mountain ranges and ended in suffocating humidity.
“The last 1500 miles were really tough,” he said. “It was fun but it was hard.”
Del Rio had a hard time replacing calories and staying hydrated and carried at least a day’s supply of food and water with him at all times lest he come across a tiny town without a place to eat or shop. Del Rio said met many amazing people along the way and gained a riding partner with whom he still keeps in touch. He lost 18 pounds during the journey.
Del Rio rode through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and ended in Virginia. The last moments of his emotional ride were caught on camera and shared by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Photos courtesy J. Del Rio
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