James A. Romito
Agency patch
Chief

James A. Romito

Illness
End of Watch September 11, 2001
Age 51
Tour of Duty 30 yrs
The Vigil Panel 148 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Chief James Romito was killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while attempting to rescue the victims trapped in the World Trade Center.

He had been employed with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, NY for 30 years.

On the anniversary of 9/11, I thank you and your comrades for your selfless duty and courage that momentous day. Chief, thank you for your sacrifice. Your sacrifice and those of the victims and other first responders will forever be honored in the annals of brave men and women who gave their all for their city, state and for the United States of America. A hero in every sense of the word. As Chief, you could have been somewhere safer, but you were obviously leading from the front.

James Lopey, Assistant Sheriff (Ret) Washoe County Sheriff's Office (Reno, Nevada) Nevada DPS September 11th, 2023

September 11, 2001

Chief James A. Romito was killed at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was 51 years old.

He is one of 72 officers honored here, and one of 37 at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department.

Seventy-two law enforcement officers from eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, alongside 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and more than 2,800 civilians. A fourth aircraft went down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where a law enforcement officer aboard was among the dead.

Officers went into the towers while everyone else was coming out. More than 25,000 people reached safety because they did.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-19892683
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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Tributes

You went in while everyone else was coming out.
Chief Romito gave the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department 30 years.
Thank you for your service to the Jersey City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief Romito.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Jersey City, NJ
Platform Identity panynjpd.hudson.nj.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 11, 2001
Tour of Duty 30 yrs
Age 51
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail Terrorist attack
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Chief James A. Romito is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In NJ, 112 of 646 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 17.3% of this state's fallen. That is 17.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, 53 of 60 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 88.3% of this agency's fallen.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department
53
of 60 officers
88.3% Illness
NJ — Statewide
112
of 646 officers
17.3% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James A. Romito's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How James A. Romito Compares

Age at Death
51
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
30
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. James A. Romito is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location