Sergeant Jeffrey M. Cicora, a former New York State Police sergeant, died on 8/10/19 of an illness he contracted while working near the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Cicora had been a state trooper since October 12, 1992, and was a state trooper for 24 years. In 2014, he received a Superintendent’s Commendation Award for his work in the arrest of David Renz, who raped a 10-year-old girl and killed the woman who tried to save her in 2013. Cicora was the first state trooper to respond to a 911 call reporting a stabbing. He arrived to find two good Samaritans caring for the victims. Cicora tracked Renz in a woods with a police dog. Cicora was deployed to John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports after the attacks. Cicora and his K9 partner, Devitt, searched planes, luggage, motorcades and airplane terminals for explosives for nearly six months. He is survived by his wife Valerie and his son Jack. Contributions may be made to Hospice of Jefferson County, 1398 Gotham St, Watertown, NY 13601.
Many first responders have suffered from medical conditions related to working near the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks. As of March 31, 2019, 75,036 responders enrolled in the Center for Disease Control’s World Trade Center health program. At least 1,611 of those first responders have died from conditions covered under the Zadroga Act. The act is a piece of federal legislation named after James Zadroga, a New York police officer who died of a 9/11-related respiratory illness. The act provides health monitoring and financial aid to 9/11 first responders and survivors who were near the attacks. On July 29, the September 11th Victim Compensation fund was extended for an additional ten years, with $10.2 billion being allocated to cover compensation costs.
