NEW YORK — A New York City police recruit died Wednesday after suffering an apparent medical episode at a training facility in the Bronx, just days before he was set to graduate as an officer.
The 33-year-old, identified as probationary police officer Edgar Ordonez, lost consciousness at 11:30 a.m. while at Rodman's Neck, an operations base used by police for weapons and tactical training, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department said. He was pronounced dead shortly after at a nearby hospital.
The death did not involve gunfire, the spokesperson said. Authorities were investigating whether he may have suffered heat stroke or a heart attack. The National Weather Service had issued a heat advisory for the Bronx and other parts of the city on Wednesday, warning the heat index could get as high as 99 F (37.2 C).
“Our hearts are heavy as we honor our fallen brother, Probationary Police Officer Edgar Ordonez,” Police Commissioner Edward Caban said in a statement on X. “We tragically lost Edgar earlier today, just a few days before he was set to graduate and join his fellow Finest protecting New York City.”
The head of the NYC Police Benevolent Association, the NYPD’s largest union, described Ordonez as a “beacon of joy and positive energy for his fellow recruits.”
“He had the drive and determination necessary to become a New York City police officer, and he was just days away from hitting the streets and making a difference in protecting our city," PBA President Patrick Hendry in a statement posted by the union on X.
A video posted to X by the NYPD showed police recruits, officers and members of the public lining streets in New York in a tribute to Ordonez on Wednesday afternoon.