Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Henry Farrell was killed when he entered a burning building at 55 Spring Street in Manhattan to rescue trapped civilians. Patrolman Farrell was walking to his post just after starting his tour of duty at the Elizabeth Street Station when he noticed black smoke coming from 55 Spring Street. He ran to the building and entered, yelling at all the tenants to evacuate. When he got to the second floor, he observed an old lady and her young granddaughter struggling to evacuate. He carried the two out of the building to safety and then reentered the building to help evacuate the remaining residents. He rescued another woman and brought her to safety before climbing the fire escape of the building to carry an elderly man to safety. Noting that not everyone was out of the building, Patrolman Farrell entered the building next door and jumped from the roof of that building to the roof of 55 Spring Street. He then pried open the roof door and entered the building, where he found an unconscious man on the top floor. Patrolman Farrell attempted to rescue that man but was overcome by the smoke and flames. Patrolman Farrell had served with the New York City Police Department for over three years and was assigned to the 3rd Precinct, the present-day 5th Precinct. His wife and 3-year-old son survived him. He was posthumously awarded the New York City Police Department's Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.
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- 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 Farrell gave the New York City Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Farrell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Henry J. Farrell 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. Henry J. Farrell's cause is highlighted.
How Henry J. Farrell Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Henry J. Farrell is highlighted in Mar.
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.
