Joseph Zadroga whose NYPD cop son was the first to die from Gound Zero-related illness is killed in shocking SUV crash

Joseph Zadroga was fatally struck by James McNeal, 82, in a hospital parking lotPolice are investigating the crash and no immediate charges were announced 

The father of a New York City police officer who was the first to die from a Ground Zero-related illness has been killed in a SUV crash.

Joseph Zadroga, of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, was standing next to his car in the parking lot of a hospital in Galloway on Saturday afternoon when an elderly SUV driver struck him, pinning him underneath the vehicle.

Responding officers attempted life-saving measures on the 76-year-old before transporting him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The retired North Arlington, NJ police chief became a vocal advocate for families of 9/11 first responders following the death of his son Detective James Zadroga.

Det Zadroga died in 2006, aged 34, of a respiratory ailment his family believed was linked to the time he spent at Ground Zero.

His namesake James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 provides federal health benefits to first responders who fell ill after the attacks in 2001.

Retired North Arlington, NJ police chief Joseph Zadroga (pictured in 2010 campaigning for the James Zadroga Act) was killed Saturday after being struck by a SUV in a hospital parking lot

Chief Zadroga became a vocal advocate for families of 9/11 first responders following the death of his son Detective James Zadroga (pictured right at Ground Zero) in 2006

Det Zadroga, 34, died in 2006 of a respiratory ailment his family believed was linked to the time he spent at Ground Zero. The NYPD detective is pictured with his daughter Tyler Ann

Linda and Joseph Zadroga (center top), parents of James Zadroga, are seen crying as NYPD officers carry their son’s casket out of Queen of Peace Church in North Arlington, NJ on January 10, 2006

Chief Zadroga had been standing next to his car when James McNeal, 82, attempted to pull his Nissan SUV into a parking lot near him.

The driver accelerated and struck Chief Zadroga with his SUV, pinning him underneath, according to a Galloway police statement on Sunday.

He was taken into the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said they are still investigating the crash. No immediate charges were announced.

News of Chief Zadroga’s death quickly reverberated among Sept. 11 survivors and advocates.

‘To the 9/11 Community. We just learned Joe Zadroga passed away. Joe was the father of Det James Zadroga NYPS the hero our legislation is named after,’ John Feal, another prominent advocate, wrote in a post on Facebook.

‘While we do not have all the details and will not speculate, we will wait for all the details. We do send our condolences and we mourn with the Zadroga family.’

The Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) offered its ‘deepest condolences’ to the family of Chief Zadroga.

‘Joseph was the father of fallen 9/11 hero Detective James Zadroga,’ the DEA wrote. ‘His advocacy helped ensure the Detective James Zadroga Act — assisting countless first responders in need.’

Chief Zadroga (pictured in 2014 at a rally in NYC to extend the James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act for a further 25 years) had been standing next to his car when James McNeal, 82, attempted to pull his Nissan SUV into a parking lot near him. The driver accelerated and struck Chief Zadroga with his SUV, pinning him underneath

Joseph Zadroga, father of deceased 9/11 responder James Zadroga, holds his granddaughter Tyler Ann alongside his wife Linda at a press conference in 2007 calling for 9/11 health funding

News of Chief Zadroga’s death quickly reverberated among Sept. 11 survivors and advocates, with tributes to the ‘great man’ flooding in

County Commissioner Steve Tanelli also paid tribute to Chief Zadroga, issuing ‘thoughts and prayers’ to his family and friends.

‘Chief Zadroga served the North Arlington community for 27 years,’ Tanelli said.

‘After his son James died of respiratory illness developed after responding to lower Manhattan on 9/11 and the days that followed, Chief Zadroga became a fierce advocate for first responders who suffered illness after the 9/11 attacks.

‘He has been credited with spearheading the Zadroga Act for 9/11 families which helped deliver much-needed funds to the families of first responders.’

The commissioner added: ‘May he rest in peace.’

Frank Conti, President of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association Inc, said: ‘The members of the Port Authority PBA are saddened by the passing of Retired North Arlington Police Chief Joseph Zadroga, a champion of all first responders suffering with 9/11 World Trade Center illnesses.

‘Chief Zadroga’s love for his son, Fallen NYPD Detective James Zadroga, became an embrace for all who suffer. We have lost a great man and friend.’

Detective James Zadroga (pictured with his daughter Tyler Ann) died from a rare lung disease in January 2006. The non-smoker, who had no known history of asthma or other respiratory conditions, spent 450 hours participating in the recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

oseph Zadroga points to the police badge of his deceased son during a news conference about illnesses of 9/11 responders on November 10, 2010

Det Zadroga, a father who served with the NYPD, died from a rare lung disease in January 2006. 

The non-smoker, who had no known history of asthma or other respiratory conditions, spent 450 hours participating in the recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

Recalling the day he died, his father Chief Zadroga, previously said: ‘I went up to his room one morning to check on him and he was dead on the floor. He was so young.’

In 2014, it was revealed that more police officers had died from so-called Ground Zero illness contracted during the rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center than were killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Ground Zero illness is a catch-all term used to describe the cancers, respiratory problems and other diseases that researchers say effect thousands of people who worked at Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

The government slowly began to recognize Ground Zero illness after the death of Det Zadroga. In 2011, then-President Barack Obama signed the James Zadroga Act into law, creating a $4.2billion program to provide medical services and compensation for first responders exposed to the toxins during the terrorist attacks.