Thousands of people flooded St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan on Friday to pay their final respects to “America’s Cop” Bernie Kerik, remembering him as a hero who “took command” on 9/11.
The former NYPD commissioner was eulogized by his son, Joey Kerik, as a steadfast family man even during his high-profile career leading the city’s Police Department through the terror attacks.
“He was raw, real, everything you’d want in a dad,” Joey said, speaking to pews packed with the Big Apple’s top leaders.
“As a man in the limelight, there’s nothing he loved more then his children,” Joey said.
But Kerik also put “his whole heart” into his demanding job, facing the struggles of his role head-on both during Sept. 11, 2001, and in post-terror attack New York City, the son said.
“He took command, didn’t flinch or retreat,” said Joey, 41, who followed in his father’s footsteps into law enforcement and currently serves on the Newark SWAT team.
“He always told me how proud he was of me. The one thing i never got to say to him was how proud I was of him,” the son said.
Dozens of dignitaries were in attendance to honor the life of Kerik, who died Thursday after he was hospitalized with cardiac disease. He was 69.
FBI Director Kash Patel and his wife were among the mourners, as was former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who named Kerik to the top cop job in 2000, and his son, Andrew. Giuliani was seen rubbing elbows with Kerik’s successor, former cop city cop Ray Kelly.
Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jennifer Tisch were among those lined up in front of flag-bearers before Kerik’s coffin was brought into the church. Deputy Mayor Randy Maestro and Deputy NYPD Commissioner Tania Kinsella joined the crowd, too.
“The quote, ‘courage is an uncommon virtue,’ applies today as we commemorate D-Day and celebrate the life of Commissioner Bernard Kerik, the man whose courage saved lives, delivered a city from its worst attack and helped elect the man who is saving America, President Trump,” Giuliani wrote on X on Friday.
A procession to the famed cathedral before the ceremony involved including motorcycles, a marching band and dozens of NYPD officers.
Kerik had a storied career that earned him the nickname the “Beat Cop Commissioner” for his hands-on leadership style, making five arrests during his 16-month tenure as commissioner, including one involving two ex-convicts in Harlem driving a stolen van.
His law-enforcement career spanned four decades and involved national security work and helming the NYPD during 9/11, overseeing its response, rescue, recovery and investigative efforts in the aftermath.
Kerik is survived by his wife, Hala Matil Kerik, and three children, including a son with ex-wife Jacqueline Llerena.
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