Second NYPD Detective Dies From Coronavirus, Police Say

NEW YORK, NY — A second NYPD detective has died after contracting the new coronavirus, one of two deaths among the city's police force on Friday, the department announced.

Det. Jack Polimeni, who was with the force since 1997, died on Friday from complications related to the coronavirus, police said. He was assigned to the Warrant Section of the Fugitive Enforcement Division.

Another NYPD member, School Safety Agent Joseph Donofrio, also died on Friday from complications to the virus. Donofrio was assigned to the 113th Precinct in Queens.

Polimeni is the second detective and third officer to lose their life to the coronavirus.

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Harlem Det. Cedric Dixon, who had been on the force 23 years, was the first uniformed member of the NYPD to succumb to the coronavirus when he died late last month. Harlem Officer Eric Murray, who had been on the force for 14 years, died on Thursday.

The new coronavirus has hit the NYPD hard. Police officers are considered essential workers by the state, meaning they must continue to report to duty and risk catching the virus. On Friday, 7,096 uniformed members of the NYPD — nearly 20% of the department's workforce — called out sick. More than 2,314 NYPD officers and more than 400 of the department's civilian employees have tested positive for the disease, police said.

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This article originally appeared on the New York City Patch