Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Christopher Pupo died from illnesses he contracted from inhaling toxic materials as he participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Lieutenant Pupo had served with the New York City Police Department for 14 years. He was assigned as the Special Operations Lieutenant in the 41st Precinct in the Bronx. He also served with the United States Coast Guard and had been deployed to the Middle East.
Lieutenant Pupo is survived by his wife and three children.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Lieutenant Christopher M. Pupo was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 30 years old that fall.
He died on June 23, 2012 - 10 years and 9 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 40.
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
Lieutenant Pupo is survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-21DB16B2- 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 salute.nw — U.S. Coast Guard, salute.nw. One record, 3 gates. Christopher is one person.
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Tributes
You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Lieutenant Pupo gave the New York City Police Department 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Pupo.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Christopher M. Pupo served in the U.S. Coast Guard (2009â2010) before joining law enforcement.
Lieutenant Christopher M. Pupo is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.
In NY, 655 of 2,147 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 30.5% of this state's fallen. That is 30.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At New York City Police Department, 538 of 1237 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 43.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Christopher M. Pupo's cause is highlighted.
How Christopher M. Pupo Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Christopher M. Pupo is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Military Service
Christopher M. Pupo served in the U.S. Coast Guard (2009–2010) before joining law enforcement.
Visit Christopher M. Pupo’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1,236 officers from New York City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
