A group of about a dozen were escorted to 39th and Wallace Streets, in the city's Mantua section, by more than 50 police motorcyclists. When they got there, they were surrounded by about 100 other officers and police brass who had come to pay their respects to the family of the 18-year veteran.

Soon, mourners lined up to place bouquets on the sidewalk in front of a vacant house where Nazario, 40, spent her final moments. Candles, teddy bears and balloons were also placed at the memorial.

"She was a very, very good officer in a very high-profile unit with highly motivated officers," said Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who attended the vigil. He said the event was a way to bring closure, or at least begin the healing process.

Nazario, a single mother who lived with her daughter, Jazmin, 13, had joined the Police Department because she wanted to do something good for the community, friends said.

Twelve years ago, she was assigned to the Narcotics Strike Force. Under Ramsey's reorganization, the force was recently divided into the North and South Strike Forces, with a mission to control drug traffic, robberies and illegal weapons.

Nazario, a graduate of Olney High School, was in the South Strike Force. She and her partner, Terry Tull, a 12-year police veteran and the driver of their vehicle, were broadsided and trapped in their crushed cruiser for more than an hour after the 9:30 p.m. accident.

Andre Butler, 16, is in custody, charged with third-degree murder and will be tried as an adult.

Tull, nicknamed "Spiderman" by friends, was upgraded to stable condition yesterday. Police spokeswoman Tonya Little said he was "in high spirits and receiving a stream of visitors." He suffered fractured ribs and a broken hip in the accident.

Officer Alex Cricelli, who works in the Strike Force South unit, said Tull was a comic-book collector, and, with his two young sons, was a big fan of Spiderman. Cricelli described Tull as a professional who "gets the job done and a great guy to joke around with."

Cricelli said Nazario was also a first-rate officer who was "very aggressive" in her police work. He said she lived in a drug-riddled area and wanted to make it a better place for her daughter and the community she loved. "She really wanted to make a difference," he said.

Nazario's younger sister, Maritza Mohamad, 39, is also a policewoman. Mohamad is a 15-year-veteran assigned to the 39th District as a patrol officer. Nazario was engaged to a fellow officer, according to a police spokeswoman.

Her sister and fiance both attended the vigil yesterday, along with her mother, Patricia, and her daughter. A pastor led the group in prayer and one man waved a Puerto Rican flag.

Frank Rivera, an officer who said he knew Nazario for 20 years, said she would be buried in Puerto Rico, where her father's body lies, and where her retired mother plans to move with Nazario's child.

"This is a loss for the Hispanic community," Rivera said. "She is also a role model for single mothers because she worked to support her daughter and still made time for her daughter."

Rivera's wife, Viviana, Nazario's hairdresser and friend, said that Nazario "was very happy." Though no date had been set for the wedding, she loved her fiance and also loved her job, Viviana said. "She might say she had a hard day, but she would never complain about the job," she said.

Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman, said Nazario and Tull were called to assist in the pursuit after other officers said the teen was driving recklessly and wouldn't pull over.

Vanore said Butler, of the 700 block of North Markoe Street in West Philadelphia, had been wanted by police since June, when he failed to appear for a Family Court hearing.

Butler had been incarcerated in a juvenile facility in the Poconos for a 2005 robbery and was ordered to attend "an incorrigibility hearing" over something that happened while he was incarcerated, Vanore said.

Vanore said Butler was speeding and weaving in and out of small streets as he fled the officers who first spotted him. He said Butler was traveling at high speed when he got to the intersection where Nazario and Tull were.

Nazario was the second officer killed in the line of duty this year. On May 3, Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, 39, was shot to death in Port Richmond while trying to arrest bank robbers. He was a 12-year police veteran.

A viewing for Officer Nazario will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the John F. Givnish Funeral Home, 10975 Academy Rd., in Northeast Philadelphia.

Another viewing will be held at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, 18th Street and the Parkway. It will be followed by a Funeral Mass at noon.