DNYUZ
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Television
    • Theater
    • Gaming
    • Sports
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
DNYUZ
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Widow of fallen COVID cop seeks a spot on memorial wall at NYPD headquarters

April 26, 2025
in News
Widow of fallen COVID  cop seeks a spot on memorial wall at NYPD headquarters
494
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

NYPD officers who died from COVID-19 during the pandemic deserve to be treated — and enshrined — as heroes, family and union officials are urging.

Detective James Abear’s death in 2020 was as if he was struck by an “invisible bullet,” his still grieving widow Catharine Abear told The Post.

Abear was a Special Victims Division sleuth visiting crime victims in Queens hospitals when the virus invaded the borough’s emergency rooms in early 2020.

Abear poses holding a photo of her husband.
Widow Catherine Nicole Abear lost her police officer husband SVD Det. Raymond Abear to the Coronavirus five years ago. Leonardo Munoz

“My husband went out there every day,” said Abear. “Even though his job was dangerous, I didn’t think this was going to take his life.

“At that very early stage . . . we knew very, very little about the disease and there wasn’t a lot of understanding on how to protect ourselves . . . and masks were far and few between,” she added. “So sadly, he caught it very early on.” 

When he died on April 13, 2020 at the age of 43, the couple had a 4-month-old daughter, Stella, and a 2-year-old son, Jackson.

The widow with her son and daughter outside.
Abear’s children were an 4 months and 2 years old when their father passed away from COVID. Leonardo Munoz

Abear’s widow wants her husband and the other victims to be memorialized on the Hall of Heroes wall at NYPD headquarters at One Police Plaza in lower Manhattan, where the names of detectives shot and killed in the line of duty and those who died as a result of illnesses connected to the 9/11 attacks are listed.

“For him to be honored by them, that’s an accomplishment,” Abear said. “We have young kids and I want them to stand in the hall at One Police Plaza, look up and say, ‘That’s my dad.’”

Abear is among six detectives who died from COVID to be honored at a five-year memorial ceremony at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Jamaica Saturday.

Abear died of Covid in 2020.
Detective Raymond Abear was a detective who frequently went into hospitals before he contracted COVID. Detectives’ Endowment Association

The others being honored are Cedric Dixon, of the 32nd Precinct Detective Squad, Jack Polimeni, of the Manhattan Warrant Squad, Jeffrey Scalf, of the Bronx Gang Squad, Robert Cardona of the 13th Precinct Detective Squad and Christopher McDonnell, of the Intelligence Bureau. All of them had about 20 years on the job each.

“They all really passed within about two weeks of each other, the six detectives,” Abear said. “They were the first of the department to get sick.”

There were nearly 70 members of the NYPD, including non-uniformed and uniformed employees, who died of the illness.

Abear family poses with his photo.
The mom with her two children as her youngest holds a picture of Abear in uniform. Leonardo Munoz
The street sign that says Raymond Abeaer Way in Queens.
Detective Raymond Abear had a street renamed in his honor in 2022. Detectives’ Endowment Association

Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro recalled how difficult it was for the union to secure protective equipment such as masks, gloves and sanitizer for members in the early days of the pandemic. The department didn’t provide the equipment.

“Like all detectives, they faced the front lines of the pandemic with unwavering dedication protecting others even as they risked their own health,” he said.

“Now it is our duty to honor these detectives and ensure their legacies live on for generations.”

The families also received line of duty death benefits and have their names on memorial walls, including at Ground Zero and in Washington, D.C.

The post Widow of fallen COVID cop seeks a spot on memorial wall at NYPD headquarters appeared first on New York Post.

Tags: Coronavirus in NYDeathsdetectivesNYPDsvu
Share198Tweet124Share
Transcript: Trump Turns Hard on Musk as GOP Bill Hit by Harsh New Data
News

Transcript: Trump Turns Hard on Musk as GOP Bill Hit by Harsh New Data

by New Republic
June 5, 2025

The following is a lightly edited transcript of the June 5 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it ...

Read more
News

Dakota Johnson Is the Best Talk Show Guest, Period

June 5, 2025
News

Mossad’s Former Chief Calls the War in Gaza ‘Useless’

June 5, 2025
News

Fishing Communities in the Philippines Are Fighting for their Future as Waters Rise

June 5, 2025
News

My father-in-law retired at 55 and is now 86. His successful early retirement taught me 4 lessons I plan to follow.

June 5, 2025
Procter & Gamble says it will cut 7,000 jobs over the next 2 years

Procter & Gamble says it will cut 7,000 jobs over the next 2 years

June 5, 2025
Breitbart Business Digest: Tariffs and Tax Relief—Trump’s New Model for Funding the Government

Breitbart Business Digest: Tariffs and Tax Relief—Trump’s New Model for Funding the Government

June 5, 2025
Want a Sonos Home Theater Upgrade on a Budget? The Beam Soundbar Is Just $369.

Want a Sonos Home Theater Upgrade on a Budget? The Beam Soundbar Is Just $369.

June 5, 2025

Copyright © 2025.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Sports
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel

Copyright © 2025.