Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief Gerald Nelson 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 Nelson had served with the New York City Police Department for over 20 years and was the Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn North before his retirement. He previously served with the New York City Housing Authority Police Department for 22 years and was instrumental in the agency's merger with the New York City Police Department in 1995.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Chief Gerald Nelson was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 50 years old that fall.
He died on May 10, 2024 - 22 years and 7 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 72.
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 was survived by his wife, two sons, a stepdaughter, a sister, a brother, an aunt, and two grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-7F0E7EE8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Chief Nelson gave the New York City Police Department 42 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief Nelson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief Gerald Nelson is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NY, 629 of 2,147 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 29.3% of this state's fallen. That is 20.2 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At New York City Police Department, 521 of 1237 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 42.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gerald Nelson's cause is highlighted.
How Gerald Nelson Compares
Offender Outcome
19 suicide attackers
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Gerald Nelson is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1,236 officers from New York City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
