Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Coronavirus: NYPD officer who overcame 9/11-related cancer dies from virus

Detective worked on force for 19 years and leaves behind young son

James Crump
Thursday 16 April 2020 19:16 BST
Comments
Governor Cuomo says New York coronavirus restrictions will be extended until May 15

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A New York City police officer, who overcame 9/11 related cancer, has died after contracting Covid-19.

Detective Robert Cardona died from coronavirus related complications on Wednesday, according to NYPD chief of detectives, Rodney Harrison.

Mr Cardona worked for the NYPD for 19 years and leaves behind a young son.

Mr Harrison publicly announced Mr Cardona’s death on his Twitter page, saying that “today we lost another great detective to Covid-19 complications.”

He added that “detective Robert Cardona is a 19 year veteran and leaves behind an 8-year-old son. While assigned to the 13th Precinct Detective Squad, Robert was a 911 cancer survivor and dedicated DEA delegate.”

As of Wednesday, there are 6,274 uniformed NYPD officers off work sick, which is 17.3% of the workforce.

Wednesday was the sixth day in a row that the number of officers on sick leave decreased for the NYPD, according to the Staten Island Advance.

The number is 98 less than Tuesday, when 6,372 uniformed officers called in sick.

New York State has been badly affected by the coronavirus outbreak and currently has the largest number of confirmed positive cases in the US.

Google’s dedicated coronavirus page shows that New York State has upwards of 213,779 confirmed cases and at least 11,586 deaths.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, nationally there are upwards of 640,291 people who have tested positive for coronavirus. The death toll has reached at least 31,195.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in