An NYPD detective died after contracting coronavirus — the first officer to succumb to the disease.
The tragic news comes as the virus continues to impact the department, with some 4,220 cops out sick, 570 testing positive and 18 hospitalized as of Saturday night, law enforcement sources told The Post.
The 48-year-old crime fighter who lost his life, identified as Cedric Dixon, worked in the 32nd Precinct in Harlem, officials said.
The 23-year veteran cop passed away Saturday morning at North Central Bronx Hospital, where he was admitted Wednesday with flu-like symptoms, police sources told The Post.
“I can tell you that I’ve spoken to many of his friends and coworkers since this morning, and he was known as the person that would do anything to help you,” said NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea at a press conference Saturday. “If you had something broken, he was particularly fond of fixing technology and electronics.”
“He is going to be so sorely missed.”
“He was a very good cop,” said a fellow officer who worked alongside Dixon in The Bronx’s 40 Precinct. “Great personality.”
Dixon, who sources said suffered from asthma and diabetes, is the third member of the NYPD to die from the virus.
An administrative aide in the Bronx died Thursday, the same day Dennis Dickson, a 62-year-old cleaner at 1 Police Plaza was also claimed by COVID-19.
“We have lost three members of our family in a little over 48 hours,” Shea said. “As I stand here I cannot begin to describe what we are feeling, what the families of these three heroes are feeling.”
More than 500 members of New York’s Finest have now tested positive for the virus—and more than 11% of the force had called out sick, officials said.
“For first responders, you just don’t often have the opportunity to isolate. You go to the danger,” Shea said Saturday.
“We are first responders, we are at a higher exposure rate than others and it is very difficult and uncharted borders for us,” echoed Detectives’ Endowment Association head Paul DiGiacomo. “But we are out there doing the best job we can and this exemplifies what we are known for, the greatest detectives in the world, and Detective Dixon will always be known as the greatest detective in the world.”
Police departments from across that state stood in solidarity with the NYPD Saturday.
“There is a bond among police officers we hold sacred, whether they are in New York City, Suffolk County or anywhere in the world, we stand together,” Noel DiGerolamo, president of the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association, wrote in a statement.
New York’s Bravest also mourned the loss.
“New York City first responders, along with hospital workers and medical personnel, are the front lines in the battle against this virus. We will continue to stand side-by-side with New York City Police Officers in unity, as we share the core mission of keeping our City and its residents safe,” Uniformed Firefighters Association President Gerard Fitzgerald said.