John William Perry
Agency patch
Police Officer

John William Perry

Illness
End of Watch September 11, 2001
Age 38
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
The Vigil Panel 149 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer John Perry was killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while attempting to rescue the victims trapped in the World Trade Center.

Officer Perry was at police headquarters filing his retirement papers when he was notified about the first airplane striking the first tower. He rushed to the scene to assist with rescue operations and was killed when one of the towers collapsed.

Officer Perry had served with the New York City Police Department for eight years and was assigned to the 40th Precinct.

September 11, 2001

Police Officer John William Perry was killed at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was 38 years old.

He is one of 72 officers honored here, and one of 23 at New York City 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.

Survivors

He is survived by his parents, brother, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-A7E62690
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.
Police Officer Perry gave the New York City Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Perry.

— 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 September 11, 2001
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail Terrorist attack
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Police Officer John William Perry 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 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.

New York City Police Department
538
of 1,237 officers
43.5% Illness
NY — Statewide
655
of 2,147 officers
30.5% 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. John William Perry's cause is highlighted.

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

How John William Perry Compares

Age at Death
38
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
8
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. John William Perry 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