Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Joe Paolillo 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.
His brother, Battalion Chief John Paolillo, served with the New York City Fire Department and was killed in the line of duty when the World Trade Center's North Tower collapsed on September 11th, 2001.
Detective Paolillo had served with the New York City Police Department for 30 years.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Detective Joseph Mark Paolillo was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 38 years old that fall.
He died on September 9, 2019 - 17 years and 11 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 55.
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, three sons, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-4E8478BA- 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.
Detective Paolillo gave the New York City Police Department 30 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Paolillo.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Joseph Mark Paolillo 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. Joseph Mark Paolillo's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Mark Paolillo Compares
Offender Outcome
19 suicide attackers
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Mark Paolillo is highlighted in Sep.
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.
