NYPD recruit dies after fainting in training session
NEW YORK CITY - An NYPD recruit has died in NYC after he fainted and lost consciousness while in a training session at Rodman’s Neck in the Bronx, multiple sources have confirmed to FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt.
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.
In a message posted on X, Police Commissioner Caban said that Ordonez was just days away from graduating.
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).
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.
For nearly a decade, questions have mounted around whether Rodman’s Neck peninsula is the best place for the NYPD to base its critical training operations.
In the past, critics have said the facility "required a complete overhaul."
Former deputy commissioner Vincent Grippo, told the New York Times in 2017, "It [was] an extremely out-of-date, dilapidated facility…nothing’s been done for 40 or 50 years."
The thought was that the facility would undergo major revitalization, but plans for the grounds proved to be costly.
FOX 5 got an exclusive look inside the NYPD Bomb Squad's training and preparation at Rodman's Neck.
There, officers were trained to dismantle heavy explosive devices and carry tools in very tight and confined areas.
With the Associated Press.