NYC overpass renamed for Port Authority Police Officer Pavlos Pallas, who died from 9/11-related cancer

NEW YORK — A Port Authority Police officer who died from 9/11-related cancer will forever be remembered in Queens.

On Sunday, the 94th Street/Grand Central overpass to LaGuardia Airport was named for Officer Pavlos Pallas, who was known as Paul by his loved ones.

His courageous work responding to the World Trade Center attack resulted in cancer that took his life in 2011. Family members remembered the late officer at the ceremony.

“For him, it came down to this: do the right thing toward your fellow men, take care of your community, and do it all with a smile without taking yourself too seriously,” said Margarita Loukas, Pallas’ widow.

There are now more than 27,000 people with a 9/11-related cancer. More than 5,000 who responded to ground zero have died from a related illness.