A retired New York Fire Department deputy chief who lost his firefighter son in the September 11 attacks and spent decades fighting for ailing first responders has died from a 9/11-related illness.
James “Jim” Riches passed away on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 74, nearly 24 years after he searched tirelessly at Ground Zero for his eldest son, Firefighter James Riches Jr. His death adds to the toll of more than 400 FDNY members who have succumbed to illnesses linked to toxic exposure following the collapse of the World Trade Center, according to CNN.
A Father’s Final Search
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Riches rushed to lower Manhattan as the second tower came down. His son, known as Jimmy Jr, was assigned to Ladder 114 in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park and had responded with Engine Company 4. He was last seen carrying an injured woman from the lobby of the North Tower. Jimmy Jr was among the 343 firefighters killed that day.
In the months that followed, Riches returned daily to the smouldering ruins, combing through debris thick with toxic dust, smoke and gases that spread across lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“He was there every day to find his son,” said Richard Brower, a retired FDNY lieutenant and former president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association.
