Alex W. Baez
Agency patch
Sergeant

Alex W. Baez

End of Watch November 22, 2008
Age 50
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Alex Baez died from illnesses he contracted while inhaling toxic materials as he participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Sergeant Baez served with the New York City Police Department for 22 years and was assigned to the 84th Precinct.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Sergeant Alex W. Baez 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 November 22, 2008 - 7 years and 2 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 50.

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 is survived by his mother, three children, brother, and fiancee.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
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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. Alex is one person.

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Sergeant Baez gave the New York City Police Department 22 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Baez.

— 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 November 22, 2008
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
Age 50
Gender Male

Incident Details

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

The Sacrifice · Illness

Alex 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 2008, 18 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 19th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Alex was 50. 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. Alex had served 22 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

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

When

November holds 7.8% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Saturdays: 13.9%.

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, Alex among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Sergeant Alex W. Baez

New York City Police Department · End of Watch November 22, 2008

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 35-W

Also Remembered

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →

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