(Philadelphia) The family of a Philadelphia police officer who died of glioblastoma has filed a lawsuit alleging that toxic contamination at the former Frankford Arsenal contributed to his deadly brain cancer. The complaint is the latest legal action related to three Philadelphia police officers who worked in the department’s narcotics unit at the former military installation and who all later developed the same aggressive form of brain cancer.
Like fellow officers Michael Francis Deal, Andrew Schafer and Joseph P. Cooney, Joseph Francis Jaster was assigned to the Philadelphia Police Department’s Narcotics Unit at the Frankford Arsenal and was later diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and often fatal brain cancer; he died in 2012. His family is represented by attorney William M. Davis of McMonagle Perri McHugh Mischak Davis and co-counsel James McHugh of Lopez McHugh.
“Mr. Jaster died years before his family had reason to suspect that his cancer could be connected to environmental conditions at the site where he worked,” said Davis. “His case raises an important question: How many other officers or employees who worked at the Frankford Arsenal developed serious illnesses without ever knowing there might be a connection to their workplace? We believe these families deserve answers.”
The lawsuit follows civil complaints previously filed on behalf of Deal and Schafer, who both died from glioblastoma, and Cooney, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2024 and died earlier this year. All four officers spent time working in the Police Department’s Narcotics Unit at the former Frankford Arsenal.
The lawsuits allege that decades of testing, historical assessments and federal reports documented contamination at the Arsenal, which operated as a U.S. Army munitions research and production center before portions of the property were converted to commercial use and leased to the Philadelphia Police Department. According to the complaints, hazardous materials at the site included radioactive substances, heavy metals, PCBs and carcinogenic compounds.
A 2016 analysis by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identified multiple areas containing elevated contaminants and recommended remediation, including soil removal and capping. The lawsuits allege that one of those areas is located directly adjacent to or beneath the space where the officers worked and that the officers were never warned about environmental hazards at the site.
Jaster’s death also raises an important issue for other former Arsenal employees and their families who may only recently have learned of a potential connection between workplace exposures and serious illness: while the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania generally provides a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death claims, under certain circumstances, the limitations period can sometimes begin when an injury or its cause could not reasonably have been known earlier.
“We want former Arsenal employees and their families to be aware of what these lawsuits allege,” Davis said. “Someone who lost a loved one years ago may never have considered whether environmental exposure played a role in that person’s illness. As more information comes to light, families deserve the opportunity to ask questions and understand whether they may have legal options.”
Former employees of the Frankford Arsenal and family members of individuals who worked at the site and later developed glioblastoma or other serious illnesses are encouraged to learn more about the alleged environmental exposures at the property and, if appropriate, seek legal guidance about their individual circumstances.
Formed in 1995, McMonagle Perri McHugh Mischak Davis is a nationally known criminal defense, personal injury and family law firm based in Philadelphia. The firm consistently litigates high profile cases resulting in acquittals and/or million-dollar awards/settlements. Practice areas include criminal defense, personal injury and family law. For more information, visit www.mpmpc.com or call (215) 981-0999.
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