Former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has died, the NYPD and FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday evening.
Kerik led the NYPD during the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
He was the city's 40th police commissioner.
“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 NYPD said in a post to social media.
The NYPD is mourning the passing of former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 30, 2025
For nearly two decades, Kerik served and protected New Yorkers in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11.
We offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/DG4EuFVloN
In a post on X, Patel called Kerik "a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known."
Today, we mourn the loss of Bernard B. Kerik, a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known. Bernie passed away tragically on May 29, 2025, after a private battle with illness.
— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) May 30, 2025
With over forty years of service in law enforcement…
In 2010, Kerik was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to federal tax fraud and other charges. He served three years of a four-year sentence. He was later pardoned by President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term in February 2020.
Kerik had been nominated in 2004 to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security during the Bush administration. But it was that appointment's vetting process that led to the charges.
Patel said Kerik died after a private battle with an illness.
Kerik was 69 years old.
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