Nicholas Holovinsky
Agency patch
Detective First Grade

Nicholas Holovinsky

End of Watch July 26, 2022
Age 75
Tour of Duty 29 yrs
Badge 540
Gender Male

Incident

Nicholas M. Holovinsky was appointed to the New York City Police Department on 31 August 1973. He was promoted to detective on 22 November 1989, to detective second grade on 20 December 1995 and to detective first grade on 23 March 2001. He retired from the Internal Affairs Bureau Support Division on 31 August 2002.

Detective Holovinsky died on 26 July 2022 of illnesses contracted during his work in the rescue and recovery effort after the World Trade Center attacks. He was survived by his spouse and daughter.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Detective First Grade Nicholas Holovinsky was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 55 years old that fall.

He died on July 26, 2022 - 20 years and 10 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 75.

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, daughter, sister, and grandson.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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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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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Detective First Grade Holovinsky gave the New York City Police Department 29 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective First Grade Holovinsky.

— 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 July 26, 2022
Tour of Duty 29 yrs
Age 75
Badge Number 540
Gender Male
Assignment IAB Support Division

Incident Details

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

The Sacrifice · Illness

Nicholas 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

Nicholas was 75. 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. Nicholas had served 29 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

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

When

July holds 7% 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, Nicholas among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Detective First Grade Nicholas Holovinsky

New York City Police Department · End of Watch July 26, 2022

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 63-E

Also Remembered

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →

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