Michael J. Hance
Agency patch
Police Officer

Michael J. Hance

End of Watch March 12, 2017
Age 44
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
The Vigil Panel 167 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Michael Hance 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.

Officer Hance served with the New York City Police Department for 17 years and was assigned to the 111th Precinct.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Police Officer Michael J. Hance was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 29 years old that fall.

He died on March 12, 2017 - 15 years and 6 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 44.

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.

Survivors

He is survived by his two daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
NW-XY3W-5K7J-5 earlier record number BO-US-NY-92C2D8D0
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. Michael is one person.

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Police Officer Hance gave the New York City Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Hance.

— 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 March 12, 2017
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
Age 44
Gender Male

Incident Details

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

The Sacrifice · Illness

Michael 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.

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

Time

In 2017, 52 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 8th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Michael was 44. 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. Michael had served 17 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

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

When

March holds 5.8% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 15%. Sundays: 14.1%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

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
V

His people

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

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Michael J. Hance

New York City Police Department · End of Watch March 12, 2017

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 25-E

Also Remembered

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →

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