Bernie Kerik, a former New York City Police Commissioner, was known as a hero after 9/11 and died at the age of 69.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced his death Thursday night, writing that Kerik "died after a private battle with a sick man".
Patel wrote: "The commissioner is resting. Your watch is over, but your influence will never go away."
Kerik's rise in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack was prominent in the then-city city Rudy Giuliani's tiered terrorist attack.
Kash Patel flips script on DEM Senator after being baked on J6 pardon: "Brutal Reality Check"
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and U.S. President George W. (Manny Ceneta/AFP via Getty Images)
Kerik is committed to coordinating emergency responses after the collapse of the World Trade Center.
His 35-year career has been recognized for his merit and heroic service in over 100 awards, including President Ronald Reagan’s presidential praise for heroism, and two outstanding service awards from the Department of Homeland Security.
Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik attended the anniversary of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2023. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
Kerik, who served as the New York Police Department's supreme police officer from 2000 to 2001, pleaded guilty in 2009, with eight felony counts including tax fraud and lying to the White House, while also under scrutiny for the Secretary of Homeland Security in 2004.
He stayed in prison for nearly three years before transitioning to family incarceration and eventually overseeing the release. In 2020, President Donald Trump pardoned Kerik's past beliefs.
Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani were funeral at Jonathan Diller, a New York Police Department official at Lima RC Church in Massapequa, NY on March 30, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Kerik is a voice critic of the criminal justice system and Trump’s staunch allies after his release from prison.
Kerik then worked with Giuliani to investigate election fraud claims after the 2020 election and a House committee investigated the summons of the Capitol riot on January 6.
Former NYPD commissioner who Trump pardons agrees to deal with special counsel Jack Smith in 2020 election investigation
Bernie Kerik participated in the AOL Build Speaker Series: Former New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik discussed his book From Prison to Prisonment on April 6, 2015 at AOL Studios in New York City. (Mireya Success/Getty Image)
New York City Police Chief Bernard Kerik talks with police at Times Square in New York City, 2001. (Michael Brennan/Getty Images)
Click here to get the Fox News app
Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1955, Kerik dropped out of school but later won a GED and then joined the U.S. Army.
After returning to civilian life, he entered law enforcement and was promoted, eventually leading the city’s punishment department. In 2000, he was appointed as the NYPD Commissioner by Giuliani.
Ronn Blitzer of Fox News Digital contributed to the report.