County 9-1-1 dispatcher dies at 31
LAFAYETTE. Shannon Thonus fought a courageous battle with cancer, sheriff says.
Newton /
| 13 Jul 2025 | 06:20
Shannon (Quinn) Thonus, a 9-1-1 dispatcher with the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office, died Friday, July 11. She was 31.
“Shannon was a true leader with commitment and integrity. She will be missed by many but never forgotten,” Sheriff Michael Strada said in a Facebook message.
She died after a courageous battle with cancer, according to the message.
Thonus graduated from Kittatinny Regional High School in 2012 and received a degree in criminal justice from Sussex County Community College.
She was a dispatcher with the Newton Police Department before joining the sheriff’s office in 2016. She was promoted to senior public safety telecommunicator in 2020, then to supervisory public safety telecommunicator in 2022.
Thonus received many awards during her time with the sheriff’s office, including 10 cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) saves, according to the Facebook message.
She was married and had two children.
