Roll of Honor
Zacarias Toro, Jr.
Incident
Location: New York Incident Date: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 Weapon: Aircraft; Passenger jet Offender: 19 suicide attackers
Deputy U.S. Marshal Zacarias Toro died as the result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to assist with search and rescue efforts at the World Trade Center site immediately following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
He was also assigned to provide security for members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency at Ground Zero following the attacks and was exposed to toxic conditions for an extended period of time. His health continued to deteriorate until passing away on June 14th, 2015. The World Trade Center Health Program determined that the cancer he developed was a direct result of his exposure to the World Trade Center site.
Deputy Marshal Toro had served with the United States Marshals Service for 15 years.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Deputy U.S. Marshal Zacarias Toro, Jr. was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 37 years old that fall.
He died on June 14, 2015 - 13 years and 9 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 50.
He is one of 599 officers honored here, and one of 3 at United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service.
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, daughter, three sons, and mother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-C6FB4542- 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.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Toro gave the United States Department of Justice 15 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy U.S. Marshal Toro.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy U.S. Marshal Zacarias Toro, Jr. 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 DC, 137 of 1,419 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.7% of this state's fallen. That is 0.6 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, 14 of 313 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Zacarias Toro, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Zacarias Toro, Jr. Compares
Offender Outcome
19 suicide attackers
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Zacarias Toro, Jr. is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
312 officers from United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
