Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Tom Byrne 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.
Sergeant Byrne was a United States Coast Guard veteran and had served with the New Your City Police Department for 25 years.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Sergeant Thomas A. Byrne was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 32 years old that fall.
He died on March 31, 2021 - 19 years and 6 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 51.
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 is survived by his wife, two sons, sister, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-5D3C3933- 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. One record, 2 gates. Thomas is one person.
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Tributes
You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Sergeant Byrne gave the New York City Police Department 25 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Byrne.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Thomas A. Byrne served in the U.S. Coast Guard before joining law enforcement.
Sergeant Thomas A. Byrne 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. Thomas A. Byrne's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas A. Byrne Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas A. Byrne is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Military Service
Thomas A. Byrne served in the U.S. Coast Guard before joining law enforcement.
Visit Thomas A. Byrne’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.
