Ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was known as “America’s Cop” and led the city’s police department through the 9/11 terror attacks, died Thursday after he was hospitalized with cardiac disease.
He was 69 and surrounded by family and friends at the time of his death at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Kerik, whose high-profile career was peppered with success and controversy, shot to prominence when he was named the Big Apple’s top cop by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2000 and presided over a 63% drop in violent crime.
The 40th police commissioner was also dubbed the “beat cop commissioner” for his hands-on leadership style, making five arrests during his 16-month tenure as commissioner, including one involving two ex-convicts in Harlem driving a stolen van.
Kerik, whose law enforcement career spanned four decades and involved national security work, helmed the department during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, overseeing response, rescue, recovery and investigative efforts.
His actions in the aftermath of the Twin Towers attack were praised, earning him the nickname “America’s Cop.”
“For nearly two decades, Kerik served and protected New Yorkers in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11,” the Finest said on X.
“We offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, mourned his friend of three decades.
“It was just this afternoon that I stopped by the hospital to see Bernie Kerik, my friend of nearly 30 years, before his passing,” Hizonner said. “He was a great New Yorker and American. Rest in peace, my friend.”
FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime friend, said Kerik was “a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known.”
“With over 40 years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people. As the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernie led with strength and resolve in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, guiding the NYPD through one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history,” Patel said in a statement.
“His legacy is not just in the medals or the titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild and the country he served with honor.”
Giuliani said in a statement that Kerik was a “true patriot” and “one of the bravest men I’ve ever known.”
“He became police commissioner when they thought crime couldn’t be reduced any further, yet he reduced it further. His work helped New York become the safest big city in America and a shining example of urban renaissance,” the ex-mayor said.
“Then he faced the worst foreign attack since the war of 1812 on American soil — September 11th. He was at my side within 20 minutes of the attack and never left.”
A lifetime of service
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on Sept. 4, 1955, Kerik served in the US Army before joining the NYPD in 1986.
In 1994, he left the force and joined the Department of Corrections, being named its commissioner four years later by Giuliani, leading up to his stint as the NYPD’s top cop.
In 2003, following the US invasion of Iraq, then-President George W. Bush named Kerik to head up a provisional police force in the post-war Middle Eastern nation.
The former Finest boss later founded Kerik Group, a private crisis and risk management consulting firm.
Bush nominated Kerik to head the US Department of Homeland Security in 2004, but the ex-commissioner withdrew his nomination while admitting he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny — which led to his guilty plea to ethics violations in the Bronx in 2006.
His legal troubles worsened in 2009, when he pleaded guilty to eight federal felonies, including charges that he evaded taxes on a $255,000 gift for home repairs and made false statements to federal officials while being considered for the Homeland Security post.
Kerik served four years in federal prison before he was pardoned by Trump in 2020 during his first term in the White House.
More recently, Kerik was grilled by Congress during hearings stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and was subpoenaed to disclose privileged Trump administration documents reportedly linked to the investigation.
In 2024, he served as a surrogate for Trump on crime and national security issues.
His honors over his career included the NYPD Medal for Valor, 29 NYPD medals for excellence and meritorious service, a Presidential Commendation from President Ronald Reagan and numerous other impressive accolades.
Bruce Teitelbaum, who served as Giuliani’s chief of staff, said Kerik was “a tough guy, who made an impact and served our city well. His place in history is secure.
“Fearless, brave, larger than life.”
In public, Kerik “had a tough exterior,” Kathy Vigiano, retired cop and widow of 9/11 hero Detective Joseph Vigiano told The Post. “Privately, he cherished his family, wife and kids, cops. He was always there for me and my family.”
Guardian Angels founder and Republican Big Apple mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa called him “a cop’s cop.”
Kerik is survived by his wife, Hala Matil Kerik, and three children, including a son with ex-wife Jacqueline Llerena.
His son Joe, 41, followed in his father’s footsteps into law enforcement and currently serves on the Newark SWAT team.
