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Police Officer

Cheryl D. Johnson

New York City Police Department — New York, NY

September 11, 2001 → Illness

End of Watch December 22, 2013

Age 46

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

The Vigil Panel 363 · Column 2 · Line 18 ›

Gender Female

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 1,221

Incident

Police Officer Cheryl D. Johnson died as a direct result of illnesses she contracted after inhaling toxic materials as she participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Officer Johnson served with the New York City Police Department for 20 years and was assigned to the 115th Precinct in Queens.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Police Officer Cheryl D. Johnson was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. She was 34 years old that fall.

She died on December 22, 2013 - 12 years and 3 months later - of an illness contracted there. She was 46.

She 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

She was survived by her mother, father, grandmother, brother, and stepsister.

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.

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

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

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Police Officer Johnson 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, Police Officer Johnson.

— 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 December 22, 2013

Tour of Duty 20 yrs

Age 46

Gender Female

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Cause Detail 9/11 related illness

Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

The Sacrifice · Illness

Cheryl 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.

Compare against

Time

In 2013, 24 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 14th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Cheryl was 46. 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. Cheryl had served 20 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

Age at death

Where she stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

December holds 9.6% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Sundays: 14.2%.

By month

By day of the week

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