05/12/2026
We at the Freeport Police Department offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Warden Joshua Tibbetts, as well as the Maine Warden Service as a whole. It is a true loss for the State of Maine, and the nation. The loss of Warden Tibbetts serves as a sobering reminder of the regular dangers our Wardens, and indeed all law enforcement, face daily.
Please take time to keep Warden Tibbetts' family in your thoughts and prayers.
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is heartbroken to share that Game Warden Pilot Joshua Tibbetts died this morning in a plane crash in Avon, ME.
Game Warden Pilot Tibbetts served the people of Maine as a Maine Game Warden for 18 years, including the last three years as a pilot for Maine Warden Service. In that role, his specialized aviation work supported search and rescue, law enforcement, fisheries and wildlife conservation, and public safety across the state.
This is an incredibly difficult loss for his family, friends, colleagues, and the entire Maine Warden Service. We ask the public to keep his loved ones, his fellow Game Wardens, and all those affected by this tragedy in their thoughts in the days ahead.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing. The Department will cooperate fully with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
We are grateful for the emergency personnel who responded to the scene and for the support already being shown to the Maine Warden Service family.
