James A. Schiavone, Jr.
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Detective

James A. Schiavone, Jr.

Illness
End of Watch December 12, 2017
Age 49
The Vigil Panel 168 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Detective James Schiavone 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.

Detective Schiavone is survived by his wife.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Detective James A. Schiavone, Jr. was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 33 years old that fall.

He died on December 12, 2017 - 16 years and 3 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 49.

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

Detective Schiavone is survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-6627585C
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 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 Schiavone served with the New York City Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Schiavone.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location New York, NY
Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 12, 2017
Age 49
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail 9/11 related illness
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Detective James A. Schiavone, Jr. is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 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.

New York City Police Department
538
of 1,237 officers
43.5% Illness
NY — Statewide
655
of 2,147 officers
30.5% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,756 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James A. Schiavone, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How James A. Schiavone, Jr. Compares

Age at Death
49
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. James A. Schiavone, Jr. is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location