Bernard Kerik, NYPD commissioner during 9/11, dead at 69

Bernard Kerik, New York City’s police commissioner during 9/11 has died at age 69, the NYPD confirmed.

Kerik was appointed commissioner by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and became the face of the NYPD in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He went on to organize the police force for Iraq in the wake of the war that would follow.

“I am heartbroken over the loss of my dear friend Bernie Kerik,” Giuliani said in a post on X. “He was a decorated police officer, Corrections commissioner and NYC police commissioner during the worst terrorist attack on American soil.”

I am heartbroken over the loss of my dear friend Bernie Kerik. He was a decorated police officer, Corrections commissioner and NYC police commissioner during the worst terrorist attack on American soil. Bernie oversaw the biggest evacuation of a city during this time. His work in… pic.twitter.com/NeFDm7Dj1t

— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) May 30, 2025

Giuliani said Kerik is survived by his wife, son and two daughters. The cause of his death is unclear though people close to him said he was enduring an illness.

In 2009, Kerik pleaded guilty to tax fraud among other charges and served four years in prison. He was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2020 and helped his old boss Giuliani in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to the Associated Press.

Mayor Eric Adams said he visited Kerik on the day of his death.

“It was just this afternoon that I stopped by the hospital to see Bernie Kerik, my friend of nearly 30 years, before his passing,” Adams said on X Thursday night. “He was with his loved ones who are in my prayers tonight. He was a great New Yorker and American. Rest in peace, my friend.”