NYPD Detective Daniel Del Pino is speaking out about losing his firefighter father to 9/11-related cancer just days after the 25th anniversary memorials.
The younger Del Pino, 38, told The Post that retired FDNY firefighter Thomas Del Pino died Sept. 14 of last year from diffuse midbrain glioblastoma, a rare aggressive brain tumor more commonly found in children. The elder Del Pino had received his diagnosis only months earlier, the same year his son earned his detective shield.
Thomas Del Pino spent 18 years with the department and was serving as chauffeur for Ladder Co. 85 out of Staten Island when the planes struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. His truck carried a 95-foot ladder, the highest available, and was among the first dispatched to the scene despite having no chance of reaching fires 1,500 feet above ground.
“They were pulling up when the second tower came down,” his son recounted. “Him and another guy ended up diving under a firetruck.”
The retired firefighter remained on the pile for days searching for survivors and remains, work that would burden him with survivor’s guilt for the rest of his life. That guilt drove him to become what his son called “the liaison” to another family who lost their firefighter father in the attacks.
“My dad had to be the one to tell the kids that their dad wasn’t coming home,” the detective recalled. “His remains were never found. My dad carried that with him.”
The elder Del Pino’s own father had served 22 years with the NYPD, and the detective said his dad suggested he take all the city’s civil service tests. The department called in 2010.
“These guys were all heroes,” Daniel Del Pino said. “When everyone else was running away, cops and firemen were running into danger.”
His father celebrated the career choice by purchasing a police scanner and listening for his son’s calls when he was assigned to the 77th Precinct in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The pride swelled again with the detective promotion last year, though the milestone was shadowed by the cancer diagnosis that followed a July 1 biopsy.
The father underwent radiation five days a week for six weeks, but his liver began failing about a month later. Against his failing health, he insisted on attending memorial events near his home in Millford, Pennsylvania, on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
“His rally was on Sept. 11,” his son said. “He felt like he owed it to the guys who died to pay tribute to them one more time.”
The retired firefighter made the appearances in full uniform from a wheelchair. He slipped into a coma two days later.
“He knew it was coming,” the detective said. “It wasn’t if it was going to get him, but when.”
Thomas Del Pino was 66. He was among more than 57,044 first responders diagnosed with Sept. 11-related cancers and one of 5,892 people exposed to the toxic WTC dust to die of the disease.
“He was extremely grateful that he got to survive that day,” his son told The Post ahead of this year’s anniversary. “His big thing was he never wanted anyone to forget about 9/11.”
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation continues to advocate for first responders and families affected by 9/11-related illnesses, with upcoming memorial events planned across the New York area.