Nassau County police, family and friends said goodbye on Monday to the first Nassau County cop to die from COVID-19, underscoring how the virus remains a threat 18 months after the pandemic hit Long Island.
At funeral services in Miller Place, more than 500 police officers, including some on horseback and motorcycles, saluted Officer Charles “Chuck” Vroom, who died Sept. 12 at the age of 52 from COVID-19, officials said.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said he could not say whether Vroom was vaccinated against the virus, but his death signaled how dangerous the disease continues to be — and the need for people to get vaccinated.
“You lose a 52-year-old young man like this, it brings the attention to that vaccine and the importance of getting it done,” Ryder told Newsday just before services at O.B. Davis Funeral Homes got underway.
Hundreds of cops in uniform lined Route 25A as a hearse carrying Vroom slowly made its way down the highway toward the funeral home. Bagpipes and drums rang out from members of the Nassau County Police Emerald Society Pipe Band.
“Vroom died as he lived, a hero who placed public service ahead of any concern for personal safety,” said Michael Spadaccini, president of the Nassau County Benevolent Association. “His death, a mere day after the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and his own participation in the recovery efforts, highlights the ever-present danger inherent in policing and stands in testament to the heroism of sacrifice in the line of duty.”
Spadaccini added that “through the ongoing COVID pandemic in Nassau County, our police officers and medics staff police ambulances and work as true first responders alongside health care professionals, ensuring not only the safety of our residents but their health as well.”
Check back for updates on this developing story.
