John B. McManus
Agency patch
Assistant Chief

John B. McManus

End of Watch April 14, 2020
Age 67
Tour of Duty 27 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Assistant Chief Jack McManus 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.

Chief McManus headed the Police Operations Division on 9/11 as the Chief of Operations. He also ran the police department's response team for the 2004 Republican National Convention. After he retired from the NYPD, he was the Director of Public Safety on Roosevelt Island before cancer forced him to retire. In 2019, the state Senate awarded Chief McManus with the Liberty Medal in honor of his heroism and lengthy NYPD career.

Chief McManus had served with the New York City Police Department for over 27 years.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Assistant Chief John B. McManus was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 49 years old that fall.

He died on April 14, 2020 - 18 years and 7 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 67.

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 wife, son, and daughter.

In Our Keeping

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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. John is one person.

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Assistant Chief McManus gave the New York City Police Department 27 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Assistant Chief McManus.

— 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 14, 2020
Tour of Duty 27 yrs
Age 67
Gender Male

Incident Details

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

The Sacrifice · Illness

John 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 2020, 346 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 2nd heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

John was 67. 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. John had served 27 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, John among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Assistant Chief John B. McManus

New York City Police Department · End of Watch April 14, 2020

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 58-E

Also Remembered

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →

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