Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Dennis Guerra died from injuries he sustained after responding to a residential apartment building fire.
Detective Guerra and his partner responded to a fire on the 13th floor of a New York City Housing Authority building in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. As Detective Guerra and his partner stepped off the elevator onto the 13th floor, they were immediately overcome by heavy smoke and carbon monoxide fumes. The officers radioed for assistance, and members of the New York City Fire Department responded and found both officers unconscious and unresponsive. Detective Guerra was resuscitated with CPR and transported to a local hospital. He was later transferred to a specialized hospital in the Bronx, where he died three days later from his injuries. Detective Guerra's partner was removed to a local hospital where she was in critical but stable condition. She survived with life-long respiratory injuries.
It was determined that the fire was intentionally set by a 16-year-old arsonist, who lit a mattress on fire in the hallway of the building. He was arrested by detectives and subsequently convicted of murder. In June 2016 the subject was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison with an additional two years for an unrelated robbery charge.
Officer Guerra had served with the New York City Police Department for eight years and was assigned to Police Service Area 1.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-31553A97- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Detective Guerra 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, Detective Guerra.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Dennis Eric Guerra is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NY, 645 of 2,147 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At New York City Police Department, 283 of 1237 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 22.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dennis Eric Guerra's cause is highlighted.
How Dennis Eric Guerra Compares
Offender Outcome
Convicted
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dennis Eric Guerra is highlighted in Apr.
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.
