NYPD recruit who died during training in scorching heat mourned at funeral

NYPD recruit who died during training in scorching heat mourned at funeral

The NYPD recruit who died during training in sweltering heat — days before he would become one of New York’s finest — was remembered Thursday as a loving father whose willingness to join the force touched everyone around him.

Hundreds of people gathered at St. Anselm Church in the Bronx to mourn Edgar Ordonez, 33, whose dream of joining the NYPD began when he joined the 41st Precinct Police Athletic League as a schoolboy, his family mourning the ceremony.

NYPD Deputy Chief Amir Yakatally, commander of the department’s police academy, eulogized Ordonez by reading the late recruit’s own words, written after he decided to join the force.

NYPD recruit Edgar Ordonez was mourned at a funeral Thursday after he died while training to join the force. Pierre Gerber
Edgar Ordonez, 33, was training at the NYPD shooting range in the Bronx on July 10 when he collapsed from the heat. He was pronounced dead at Jacobi Medical Center. New York Police

“When I became a father, I realized that it was no longer about me, but about the family,” Ordonez wrote. “Not only do I want to be a hero in their eyes, but I want to set an example for them so that they become not only a great man and a great woman, but above all, great human beings.”

“I just hope that one day I can make them proud knowing that Dad did his best.”

Ordonez is the father of twins, a boy and a girl.

Mayor Eric Adams consoled the grieving family, calling Ordonez an “ambassador” for diversity in the Big Apple’s modern police force.

“You lost a son, but you rebuilt a family,” Adams told the recruit’s relatives.

“These painful moments must be transformed into useful moments,” the mayor said. “Your son’s desire to become a member of the police department speaks volumes, not only as a member of your family, but also as a member of the Honduran community.”

The family of late NYPD recruit Edgar Ordonez said his dream of joining the NYPD began when he joined the Police Athletic League at the 41st Precinct as a young schoolboy. Pierre Gerber

“We lost an ambassador today.”

Ordonez was training at the NYPD shooting range at Rodman’s Neck in the Bronx on July 10 when he collapsed in the sweltering heat — and was later pronounced dead at Jacobi Medical Center.

Five days later, he was honored at the police academy graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden, where he was supposed to be among 620 recruits sworn in.