Peter D. Meehan
Agency patch
Sergeant

Peter D. Meehan

End of Watch April 5, 2022
Age 54
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Peter Meehan died as a 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.

Sergeant Meehan was a United States Navy Reserve veteran and had served with the New York City Police Department for 18 years, assigned to the Internal Affairs Bureau.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Sergeant Peter D. Meehan was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 34 years old that fall.

He died on April 5, 2022 - 20 years and 6 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 54.

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

Survivors include his six siblings, nieces, and nephews.

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.

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

Also honored at requiem.nw, salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 3 gates. Peter is one person.

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Sergeant Meehan gave the New York City Police Department 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Meehan.

— 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 April 5, 2022
Tour of Duty 18 yrs
Age 54
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Military Service

Peter D. Meehan served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Illness

Peter 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

Peter was 54. 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. Peter had served 18 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

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

When

April holds 6.9% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Tuesdays: 13.3%.

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, Peter among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Sergeant Peter D. Meehan

New York City Police Department · End of Watch April 5, 2022

Military Service

Peter D. Meehan served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

Visit Peter D. Meehan’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.

Where the Name Is Cut

Also Remembered

requiem.nw →

salute.nw →

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