Retired FDNY chief dies of 9/11-related illness; he lost son in 9/11, became voice of victims

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (OSV News) — Twenty-four years after he lost his firefighter son in the terror attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11, retired FDNY Deputy Chief James “Jim” Riches was laid to rest on Dec. 1.

Riches died on Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, from a 9/11-related illness, according to the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. He was 74 years old.

He and his son, Firefighter James Riches Jr., known as Jimmy, were among the hundreds of first responders who rushed to the World Trade Center after the attack. Jimmy was killed while responding with Engine Company 4 in the center’s North Tower.

Spent months searching for son’s remains

The elder Riches spent several months afterward searching for his son’s remains and for the remains of others, painstakingly combing through the rubble where the Twin Towers once stood. Jimmy’s remains were found in March 2002.

On 9/11, four commercial aircraft were hijacked by members of the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaida, and two of them crashed into the trade center’s Twin Towers. A third crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia, and the fourth crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers on that plane, United Flight 93, managed to overpower their captors, diverting the aircraft away from what is believed to have been a target in Washington.

In total, the four coordinated attacks spanning some 77 minutes killed 2,977. 

Toxic dust, fumes and fibers

More than 4,600 first responders and survivors have since died from cancers and other ailments incurred by toxic dust, fumes and fibers from the debris; thousands more continue to suffer. 

In 2015, Pope Francis met with a group of victims’ relatives as part of his apostolic journey to the U.S.

“Jim was the leader. He kept us going,” former FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano recalled after the funeral Mass at St. Patrick Church in Bay Ridge. “He was on a mission, and we were on the same mission.”

Hundreds of firefighters lined Fourth Avenue outside St. Patrick Church and saluted as a fire truck arrived with Riches’ casket behind a bagpipe band leading the procession.

Father Vincent Biagi, a friend of the Riches family, was the main celebrant at the funeral Mass. Father Peter Purpura and Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, who are also FDNY chaplains, also served at the Mass.

Served in NYFD for 30 years

Jim Riches served in the New York Fire Department for 30 years — from 1977 to 2007 — rising to the rank of deputy chief of fire operations.

After his retirement in 2007, he devoted much of his time to advocating for 9/11 first responders and often served as a spokesperson for their families, demanding that their sacrifice not be forgotten.

“Sept. 11 didn’t stop on Sept. 11,” Cassano told The Tablet, Brooklyn’s diocesan newspaper.

Riches’ advocacy included leading an effort in 2012 to have the National Park Service take over the running of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum to ensure its longevity.

Representing 9/11 families

Back in 2009, he traveled to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to represent 9/11 families at a military commission hearing for five men charged with being part of the conspiracy for the terror attack. The case is still tied up in court proceedings.

Cassano, who knew Riches for nearly 50 years, noted that his dedication to duty is reflected in his three surviving sons — Timothy, Danny and Thomas — all of whom joined the FDNY after their brother was killed.

Sal Albanese, whose daughter is married to Danny Riches, described Jim Riches as “a great family man.”

Riches, he added, was “a great person, a courageous person who gave of himself beyond the call of duty.”

Riches is survived by his wife, Rita, his three sons and eight grandchildren.

Cassano recalled that Riches had a strong Catholic faith that helped others cope in the dark days after 9/11.

“His faith helped us all get through it,” he said.

Paula Katinas is senior reporter at The Tablet, newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn. This story was first published in The Tablet and distributed in partnership with OSV News. Gina Christian, multimedia reporter for OSV News, contributed to this report.

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