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Detective

Ronald E. Higgins

New York City Police Department — New York, NY

September 11, 2001 → Illness

End of Watch June 11, 2022

Age 63

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

The Vigil Panel 180 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Keepsakes Also Remembered Department 1,215

Incident

Detective Higgins had served with the New York City Police Department for 20 years.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

After the impact of the first plane into the World Trade Center's North Tower, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.

As the evacuation continued, the South Tower unexpectedly collapsed as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The North Tower collapsed a short time later. Seventy-two law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department, and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site on 9/11.

A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.

The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.

The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.

On September 9th, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11th, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.

The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.

On May 1st, 2011, members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden.

Please click here to visit the memorials of all of the law enforcement officers who have died as a result of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Detective Ronald E. Higgins was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 43 years old that fall.

He died on June 11, 2022 - 20 years and 9 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 63.

He is one of 599 officers honored here, and one of 450 at New York City Police Department.

The most recent of these deaths was October 24, 2025.

Officers who worked the search, rescue, and recovery at the World Trade Center site breathed contaminated air for weeks and months afterward. Many developed cancers and respiratory disease, and they have gone on dying of it ever since.

Seventy-two officers were killed on the morning itself. Hundreds more have died in the years that followed. They are honored here together, because the same attack killed them all. With some it simply took longer.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: NW-8W4T-661F-S earlier record number BO-US-NY-1BC69853
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Ronald. Claim this record.

Also honored at requiem.nw. One record, 2 gates. Ronald is one person.

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Detective Higgins gave the New York City Police Department 20 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Higgins.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department New York City Police Department

Type Police Department

Location New York, NY

Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 11, 2022

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

Age 63

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Cause Detail 9/11 related illness

Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

The Sacrifice · Illness

Ronald is one of 2,026 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,543 remembered there.

33,910 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 2022, 134 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 4th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Ronald was 63. Of the 1,994 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Ronald had served 20 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

June holds 4.9% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 15%. Saturdays: 13.9%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,543 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause. The weapon recorded was aircraft; passenger jet, in 29.5% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded