Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Thomas Burns died after falling down a flight of stairs in an office building across the street from police headquarters at Grand and Centre Streets. Officer Burns and his sergeant were walking past the building when Patrolman Burns noticed that a door to the building was open. He went inside to investigate as his sergeant waited outside. Several minutes later the sergeant heard Patrolman Burns fall and went to his aid. The sergeant called for an ambulance but Patrolman Burns had died before it arrived. Patrolman Burns was assigned to the 5th Precinct and had been with the New York City Police Department for 11 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-A338E23D- 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.
Patrolman Burns gave the New York City Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Burns.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Thomas L. Burns 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. Thomas L. Burns's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas L. Burns Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas L. Burns is highlighted in Aug.
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.
