Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Gerard Beyrodt died as the result of cancer he developed following his exposure to hazardous materials at the World Trade Center site during the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
Sergeant Beyrodt arrived at the scene of the attack as the South Tower was struck by the second plane. As he assisted civilians to flee the area the South Tower collapsed. The impact knocked Sergeant Beyrodt to the ground, and he was caught in the toxic cloud of debris. His leg was run over by a vehicle that was attempting to leave the area. Despite his injuries he remained at the scene and continued to assist injured victims for several hours, refusing to receive medical treatment until being ordered to do so.
He remained hospitalized for several months as a result of his injuries.
Sergeant Beyrodt had served with the NYPD for 34 years. His wife and four children survive him.
On the morning of September 11th, 2001, seventy-two officers from a total of eight local, state, and federal agencies were killed when terrorist hijackers working for the al Qaeda terrorist network, headed by Osama bin Laden, crashed four hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
After the impact of the first plane into the World Trade Center's North Tower, putting the safety of others before their own, law enforcement officers along with fire and EMS personnel, rushed to the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to aid the victims and lead them to safety. Due to their quick actions, it is estimated that over 25,000 people were saved.
As the evacuation continued, the South Tower unexpectedly collapsed as a result of the intense fire caused by the impact. The North Tower collapsed a short time later. Seventy-two law enforcement officers, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department, and over 2,800 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center site on 9/11.
A third hijacked plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers attempted to re-take control of the plane. One law enforcement officer, who was a passenger on the plane, was killed in that crash.
The fourth hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, killing almost 200 military and civilian personnel. No law enforcement officers were killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.
The terrorist attacks resulted in the declaration of war against the Taliban regime, the illegal rulers of Afghanistan, and the al Qaeda terrorist network which also was based in Afghanistan.
On September 9th, 2005, all of the public safety officers killed on September 11th, 2001, were posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor by President George W. Bush.
The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers.
On May 1st, 2011, members of the United States military conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden.
Please click here to visit the memorials of all of the law enforcement officers who have died as a result of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Sergeant Gerard Thomas Beyrodt was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 60 years old that fall.
He died on October 20, 2015 - 14 years and 1 month later - of an illness contracted there. He was 74.
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.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-NY-19ADD33B- 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.
Sergeant Beyrodt gave the New York City Police Department 34 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Beyrodt.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Gerard Thomas Beyrodt 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 NY, 629 of 2,147 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 29.3% of this state's fallen. That is 20.2 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At New York City Police Department, 521 of 1237 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 42.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gerard Thomas Beyrodt's cause is highlighted.
How Gerard Thomas Beyrodt Compares
Offender Outcome
19 suicide attackers
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Gerard Thomas Beyrodt is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1,236 officers from New York City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
