Thomas M. Lilly
Agency patch
Detective III

Thomas M. Lilly

End of Watch September 16, 2022
Age 57
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Detective III Thomas Lilly died as the result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

Detective Lilly had served with the New York City Police Department for 15 years.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Detective III Thomas M. Lilly was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 36 years old that fall.

He died on September 16, 2022 - 21 years later - of an illness contracted there. He was 57.

He is one of 600 officers honored here, and one of 451 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.

Survivors

He was survived by his brother, sister, nieces, nephews, long-time companion, and her children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Detective III Lilly gave the New York City Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective III Lilly.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location New York, NY
Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 16, 2022
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
Age 57
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail 9/11 related illness
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

The Sacrifice · Illness

Thomas is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 2022, 135 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
II

Who

Thomas was 57. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Thomas had served 15 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

September holds 11.2% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Fridays: 14.8%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,552 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
V

His people

New York City Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Thomas among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Detective III Thomas M. Lilly

New York City Police Department · End of Watch September 16, 2022

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 13-WT

Also Remembered

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →

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