Joseph Charles Zadroga (April 2, 1947 – January 13, 2024) was an American advocate for first responders who fell sick with illnesses they believed came from their time in the rubble of the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may also refer to: Buildings * World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...

following the

September 11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. He was the father of

James Zadroga James Zadroga (February 8, 1971January 5, 2006) was a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer who died of a respiratory disease that has been attributed to his participation in rescue and recovery operations in the rubble of the World Tra ...

, a

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

(NYPD) officer who died of a

respiratory disease Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, ...

that has been attributed to his participation in rescue and recovery operations during and after the 9/11 attacks. Zadroga was the first NYPD officer whose death was attributed to exposure to his contact with toxic chemicals at the attack site.Smith, Stephen
"Tale Of The 'Walking Dead': A N.Y. Cop's Life Turns To Tragedy After Heroic 9/11 Work"
''

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

'', February 24, 2006. Accessed September 12, 2008. Born in Newark, Zadroga was raised in

North Arlington, New Jersey North Arlington is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 16,457, an increase of 1,065 (+6.9%) from the 2010 ...

, and graduated from

North Arlington High School North Arlington High School is a public high school in North Arlington, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the lone secondary school of the North Arlington School District. As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had a ...

. He attended

William Paterson University William Paterson University, known as WP, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey, United States. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 an ...

and earned a master's degree from

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University () is a private university with its main campuses in New Jersey, located in Madison / Florham Park and in Teaneck / Hackensack. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers more than 100 degree prog ...

. He served a quarter century with the North Arlington Police Department, retiring in 1997 as its chief. On January 13, 2024, Joseph Zadroga was killed after being run over by an SUV in a hospital parking lot in

Pomona, New Jersey Pomona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Galloway Township, in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

. He was 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zadroga, Joseph 1947 births 2024 deaths Activists from New Jersey Pedestrian road incident deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War William Paterson University alumni Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni Road incident deaths in New Jersey American police detectives People from Newark, New Jersey People from North Arlington, New Jersey