Names of Long Islanders among 68 added to Police Officers Memorial wall
The names of 68 fallen first responders, including 15 from Long Island, were added Tuesday to the Police Officers Memorial wall in Albany. Credit: Office of the Governor / Darren McGee
The names of at least 15 police and firefighters from Long Island are now among the latest fallen first responders listed on the Police Officers Memorial wall in Albany.
They were among the 68 names added Tuesday during a ceremony at the memorial.
Nearly all the new names were those of first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks who succumbed to illnesses contracted while working at Ground Zero. They are now among 1,840 names listed from 152 state and six federal agencies. Gov. Kathy Hochul also directed state landmarks to be lit blue in memoriam, including One World Trade Center, the Long Island Rail Road at Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall, and other bridges and state buildings.
“Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every time they put on their uniforms in service to their communities — today we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Hochul said in a statement. “… Our hearts are with their loved ones as we remember them and their unwavering commitment to serve the State of New York.”
Among Long Islanders added to the memorial were Nassau County Police Det. Erick W. Contreras, 53, of Mineola, who died in 2021, and Michael J. Kearns, 49, of Bayport, who died in 2014, both from cancer contracted at Ground Zero.
Suffolk County police officers added to the memorial included Chief of Patrol Thomas P. Compitello, 87, of Oakdale, a 44-year veteran of the department and also a former Amityville police officer who died in 2022; and Suffolk Police Officer Robert J. Kirwan, 79, of Sayville, who died in September and also responded to Ground Zero.
Other Long Islanders added to the memorial included Port Authority Officer Richard L. Ruiz, of Massapequa Park, who was 68 in 2023 when he died of 9/11-related brain cancer.
The governor also added five members of the NYPD with Long Island ties: Lt. Zachary Slavin, of Rockville Centre, who died in 2022 at 64, Assistant Chief James L. Ward, a longtime Centerport resident, who died in 2021 at 76, Sgt. James Anthony Mastricovo, of East Atlantic Beach, 63, who died in 2022, Det. Eric Calleja, 53, of New Hyde Park, who died in 2022, and Officer Mark N. Bressack, 57, formerly of Farmingville, who died in 2022.
The names of FDNY members added included: Supervising Fire Marshal Emil K. Harnischfeger, 71, of Smithtown, who died in 2013, Fire Marshal Robert J. Kelly, of Hauppauge, who was 61 when he died in 2020, Supervising Fire Marshal John “Jack” McCauley, 65, of Ronkonkoma, who died in 2022, firefighter Steven C. Mosiello, 58, of North Massapequa, who died in 2011, and Fire Marshal Karl J. Sederholt, 74, of Glen Head, who died in May 2023.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
