Incident
Captain Rick Tesauro 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.
Captain Tesauro had served with the New Jersey State Police for 26 years, assigned to Troop A.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Captain Richard E. Tesauro was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 44 years old that fall.
He died on October 12, 2019 - 18 years and 1 month later - of an illness contracted there. He was 62.
He is one of 600 officers honored here, and one of 10 at New Jersey State Police.
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 is survived by his wife, three daughters, his brother, and his sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
neuraspine_01krbxtmnfn4dnjjb8rx11k97v- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- September 26, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Richard. Claim this record.
Also honored at requiem.nw. One record, 2 gates. Richard is one person.
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Tributes
You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Captain Tesauro gave 27 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of New Jersey. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Captain Tesauro.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Illness
New Jersey State Police has lost 84 officers; 13 of them lost to illness.
Richard is one of 77 officers lost to illness in NJ, 11.9% of the 647 remembered there.
Richard is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.
Richard is one of 2,979 officers lost to illness worldwide, 8.7% of the 34,103 remembered here.
34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 2019, 2 officers at New Jersey State Police were lost to illness, the 2nd heaviest of 9 years on record. The heaviest was 2024, with 3.
In 2019, 5 officers in NJ were lost to illness, the 5th heaviest of 24 years on record. The heaviest was 2020, with 20.
In 2019, 45 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 9th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.
In 2019, 47 officers worldwide were lost to illness, the 9th heaviest of 197 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 566.
Who
Richard was 62. Of the 13 lost to illness at New Jersey State Police whose age is recorded, half were between 51 and 66; the middle age was 57. Richard had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 25 years.
Richard was 62. Of the 75 lost to illness in NJ whose age is recorded, half were between 47 and 61.5; the middle age was 52. Richard had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 23 years.
Richard was 62. 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. Richard had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
Richard was 62. Of the 2,916 lost to illness worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 39 and 56; the middle age was 49. Richard had served 27 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
When
October holds 7.7% of these deaths at New Jersey State Police; December holds the most, 23.1%. Saturdays: 15.4%.
October holds 10.4% of these deaths in NJ; April holds the most, 16.9%. Saturdays: 10.4%.
October holds 14.9% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Saturdays: 13.9%.
October holds 12.6% of these deaths worldwide, more than any other month. Saturdays: 14.8%.
How
Illness deaths account for 15.5% of all 84 deaths at New Jersey State Police, the 3rd most common cause. The weapon recorded was aircraft; passenger jet, in 76.9% of these deaths.
Illness deaths account for 11.9% of all 647 deaths in NJ, the 3rd most common cause. The weapon recorded was aircraft; passenger jet, in 42.9% of these deaths.
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.
Illness deaths account for 8.7% of all 34,103 deaths worldwide, the 3rd most common cause. The weapon recorded was aircraft; passenger jet, in 20.1% of these deaths.
His people
New Jersey State Police has 84 officers remembered here, Richard among them.
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William H. Marshall
Dec 12, 1923
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Robert E. Coyle
Dec 18, 1924
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Charles E. Ullrich
Feb 17, 1926
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Herman Gloor, Jr.
May 9, 1926
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Walter Arrowsmith
Aug 5, 1926
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Joseph A. Smith
Aug 4, 1927
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David Z. Ernst
Aug 4, 1927
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Peter Gladys
Dec 28, 1928
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John Madden
Mar 3, 1929
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John D. Divers
May 2, 1930
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Peter W. Ignatz
Mar 4, 1931
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Leonard P. McCandless
Jun 28, 1931
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Michael J. Beylon
Feb 22, 1932
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John Ressler
May 1, 1932
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James R. Herbert
Jul 9, 1932
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James Scotland
Feb 19, 1935
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Warren G. Yenser
Nov 9, 1935
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Joseph Perry
Jun 9, 1937
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Matthew Francis McManus
Feb 28, 1938
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Vincent C. Vosbein
Jun 19, 1938
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Walter B. Otte
Jan 24, 1940
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John I. Gregerson
Apr 28, 1941
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William J. Doolan
Oct 23, 1944
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Francis R. O'Brien
Nov 27, 1944
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Cornelius A. O'Donnell
Jul 16, 1945
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Charles Kopf
Sep 27, 1948
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Walter R. Gawryla
Apr 21, 1950
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Emil J. Bock
May 26, 1951
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Stanley A. Conn, Jr.
Aug 27, 1951
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Joseph C. Walter
Sep 7, 1952
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Frank A. Trainor
Aug 3, 1953
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John Anderson
Nov 1, 1955
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George Richard Dancy
May 28, 1956
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Finley Carl Fuchs
Dec 19, 1957
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Ronald E. Gray
Dec 1, 1958
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Hilary Welenc
Nov 20, 1959
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John W. Staas
Dec 2, 1961
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Raymond P. Fiola
Feb 19, 1962
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Arthur J. Abagnale, Jr.
Jun 11, 1962
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Joseph Paul DeFrino
Jun 11, 1962
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Milan Simcak
Jun 11, 1962
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Anthony Lukis, Jr.
May 4, 1966
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Thomas William Kavula
Sep 19, 1968
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Robert John Prato
Dec 2, 1969
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Russell John Moesta
Nov 19, 1970
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Marienus J. Segeren
Jul 25, 1971
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Robert Joseph Merenda
Nov 29, 1971
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Werner Foerster
May 2, 1973
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Thomas Atkins Dawson
Aug 13, 1973
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Philip Joseph Lamonaco
Dec 21, 1981
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John P. McCarthy
Sep 25, 1982
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Lester Amos Pagano
Jul 19, 1983
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Edward R. Errickson
Jan 25, 1984
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Carlos M. Negron
May 7, 1984
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William L. Carroll, Jr.
Jul 12, 1984
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Albert John Mallen Sr.
Aug 28, 1985
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Theodore Moos
Feb 27, 1987
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Thomas J. Hanratty
Apr 2, 1992
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Marvin R. McCloud
Jun 6, 1995
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Francis J. Bellaran
May 23, 1996
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Scott M. Gonzalez
Oct 24, 1997
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Christopher Scott Scales
Dec 3, 2002
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Bertram Zimmerman, III
Feb 5, 2004
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Marc Kenneth Castellano
Jun 6, 2010
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Anthony Robert Fotiou
Mar 28, 2011
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James G. Hoopes, III
Sep 12, 2012
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Anthony A. Raspa
May 30, 2015
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Eli M. McCarson
Dec 17, 2015
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Sean Eamonn Cullen
Mar 8, 2016
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Frankie Lamar Williams
Dec 5, 2016
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William George Fearon
Dec 28, 2016
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Paul Brown
Nov 5, 2017
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Martin J. Walsh IV
Jan 5, 2018
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Robert Emmet Nagle
Nov 26, 2018
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Bryan U. McCoy
Apr 6, 2019
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Richard E. Tesauro
Oct 12, 2019
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Matthew D. Razukas
Jul 27, 2021
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James J. Puhalski
Jun 5, 2022
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Gerald T. Barbato
Jan 16, 2023
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Peter Bruncati
Jun 2, 2023
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Marcellus E. Bethea
May 5, 2024
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Steven C. Tiboni
Dec 5, 2024
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Jeffrey A. Burke
Dec 31, 2024
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Lee E. Hendrickson
Mar 7, 2025
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 40-E
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Also Remembered
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →
Others Who Wore This Badge
83 officers from New Jersey State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.















