Bernard Bailey Kerik, aka Bernie Kerik, a former New York City Police Commissioner who rose to global fame during the September 11 attacks, died on May 29, 2025, at the age of 69. Kerik served as New York City’s 40th police commissioner from 2000 to 2001 under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He once oversaw the city’s law enforcement response during one of America’s darkest days.
Check out: Only the Top 3% of Intelligent People Can Crack This Riddle in Just 15 Seconds
Early Life
Bernard Kerik was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Patricia Joann (Bailey) and Donald Raymond Kerik Sr. His mother was a descendant of Irish-Americans, while his paternal grandfather, an ethnic Slovak from Western Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), had immigrated to Pennsylvania and changed the family surname from Kapurik to Kerik. He was raised in a Catholic household. Kerik spent his childhood in Paterson, New Jersey. He attended Eastside High School in Paterson but dropped out in 1972.
Education
In July 1974, Kerik enlisted in the United States Army, from which he earned his General Educational Development (GED) certificate from the State of North Carolina while stationed at Fort Bragg. Later, after years of serving in the New York City Police Department, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in social theory, social structure, and change from Empire State College to the State University of New York in 2002.
Career
Starting his career in the U.S. Army and later joining the NYPD in 1986, Kerik’s ascent was meteoric. He became Commissioner of the Department of Corrections in 1998 and was appointed as Police Commissioner after two years despite internal opposition and lack of a college degree at that time.
After 9/11, Kerik was appointed as interim Interior Minister in post-invasion Iraq and was tasked with rebuilding the country’s security apparatus. In 2004, President George W. Bush nominated him for Secretary of Homeland Security, but he withdrew amid revelations he had employed an undocumented nanny.
So, after this, Kerik’s fame was tarnished by numerous scandals. He was convicted in 2009 on multiple federal charges, including tax fraud and false statements, and so had to serve three years in prison. In 2020, he was pardoned by President Donald Trump and later emerged as a vocal supporter of Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud.
Awards
Bernard Kerik earned 30 New York Police Department medals for excellent, meritorious, and heroic service, including the Medal for Valour for his involvement in a gun battle. He was also honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with an honorary appointment as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work during and after the September 11 attacks.
Kerik also received many honorary doctorates from several universities, including Michigan State University and New York Institute of Technology, and the President's Medal from Hunter College.
Personal Life
Bernard Kerik has been married three times. His first marriage started in August 1978 and ended with a divorce in 1983. His second marriage, which lasted from 1983 to 1992, produced a son, and in 1998, he married his third wife, Hala Malti, with whom he has two daughters named Celine and Angelina.
Earlier in life, Kerik fathered a daughter in 1975 while serving in South Korea, but he abandoned the child and her mother after completing his military service. He later expressed deep regret over this incident.
Conclusion
Apart from all this, Kerik has also authored two books: The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice (2001), a New York Times best-seller, and From Jailer to Jailed (2014), which tells about the legal troubles he had gone through and his time in prison. Therefore, Kerik’s life was marked by service, ambition, controversy, and redemption, and even after going through so many legal troubles, he maintained a presence in security consulting and conservative political circles until his death.
-1757085356003.jpg)
Comments
All Comments (0)
Join the conversation