Deputy U.S. Marshal Dies of Cancer Linked to 9/11

A deputy U.S. marshal died Sunday following a long battle with cancer that resulted from exposures while responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Zacarias Toro was surrounded by his family in New York as he passed away 14 years after the tragedy at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Toro's cancer was connected to the response by the World Trade Center Health Program and his passing is considered a line-of-duty death.

"Although Deputy Toro’s death comes almost 14 years after the 9/11 attacks, the Marshals Service collectively mourns his passing," Director Stacia A. Hylton said in a statement. "When a law enforcement officer dies as a result of his duty, it is an immeasurable tragedy felt by all."

Toro was the recipient of the U.S. Marshals Service Purple Heart Award. He began his career as a detention enforcement officer in August 2000 and was later promoted to deputy U.S. marshal and worked in New York, Arizona and California.

He is survived by his wife Lorraine; children Zachary, Jeremy, Nicholas and Emily; and his mother.

Toro was also a Licensed Preacher with The Assembly of Christian Churches, a Sunday school teacher and Bible Institute educator.

Funeral Arrangements

Visitation will be held on June 18 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Redeeming Love Christian Center, 145 West Route 59, Nanuet, N.Y. during which a church service will commence at 7:30 p.m.

Funeral services will be held on June 19 at 11 a.m. at the Redeeming Love Christian Center.

Burial will follow at Mt. Repose Cemetery in Haverstraw, N.Y.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the New Jerusalem Pentecostal Church, 57 Main Street, Haverstraw, NY, 10927 for the International Missions Ministry.