Ground zero rescuer dies

last updated 8 January 2015

New York

A New York City detective became the first police rescuer to die from an illness traced to long hours sifting through the wreckage of the World Trade Center. James Zadroga, who was 34 when he died, spent a month digging for human remains at ground zero when it was still a smoldering, toxic ruin. By the first anniversary of the attacks, Zadroga had a constant cough and sore throat. The Police Department recently recognized that his respiratory illness was caused by his work at ground zero. His wife died two years ago from a heart ailment relatives say was aggravated by stress. At Zadroga’s funeral, the couple’s young daughter held tightly to her grandfather, Joseph Zadroga. “She thinks her dad and mom are stars in heaven,” Zadroga said. “And she gets mad when there are no stars out.”