A Staten Island cop who became the face of a well known NYPD publicity campaign in the early 1990s died of cancer yesterday morning.
Detective Richard DeGaetano, 47, died at his Richmond home. The 21-year veteran was told he was fatally ill at the end of June and was under hospice care.
DeGaetano became an officer in 1985 and served most of his career in Bensonhurst’s 62nd Precinct. He was promoted to detective first grade in 2004.
“Richie was a remarkable person, a fighter till the end,” said his grieving wife, Cathy. “He was a strong and devoted person, a wonderful, loving father who was very proud of his children.”
In 1991, the affable DeGaetano was chosen to be part of the new NYPD “The Beat Cop is Back” ad campaign with his face appearing on buses and billboards across the city.
Beside his wife and two kids, DeGaetano is survived by his father, Vincent, a New York Post machinist; his mother, Eileen; three brothers and a sister.