Joseph Vincent Vigiano
Agency patch
Detective

Joseph Vincent Vigiano

Illness
End of Watch September 11, 2001
Age 34
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
The Vigil Panel 149 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Detective Joseph Vigiano was killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while attempting to rescue the victims trapped in the World Trade Center. He was assigned to ESU Truck 2.

Detective Vigiano was one of the department's most decorated officers. He had been shot and wounded on three separate occasions during his career. Detective Vigiano had served with the New York City Police Department for 14 years. He is survived by his wife, also an NYPD officer, and three young sons. His brother, a New York City firefighter, was also killed in the attack.

September 11, 2001

Detective Joseph Vincent Vigiano was killed at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was 34 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 wife, also an NYPD officer, and three young sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-709C2B00
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.
Detective Vigiano 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, Detective Vigiano.

— 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 14 yrs
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail Terrorist attack
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Detective Joseph Vincent Vigiano 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. Joseph Vincent Vigiano's cause is highlighted.

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

How Joseph Vincent Vigiano Compares

Age at Death
34
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
14
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Vincent Vigiano 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