Retired NYPD Officer From Goshen Dies at 63 From 9/11 Exposure

George P. Triantis spent 22 years with the New York City Police Department, responded to the World Trade Center after the September 11 attacks, retired to Goshen, and died at 63 from the effects of that assignment. He passed away on February 28, 2026, at St. Mary's Kindred Hospital in Passaic, New Jersey.

Triantis joined the NYPD in 1995 and retired in 2017. His colleagues and family said he approached the job "with toughness, dedication, and an unshakable sense of duty." His death from medical complications linked to his World Trade Center deployment adds his name to the long list of first responders whose health was irreparably damaged by exposure at Ground Zero in the weeks and months following the attacks.

He was eulogized on Sunday, March 8, at Donovan Funeral Home on South Church Street in Goshen, remembered as a man with "an enormous heart, fiercely loyal, deeply protective, and always present for those he loved." Those who knew him cited equal parts edge and warmth: "his sharp sarcasm, his no-nonsense demeanor, and the quiet generosity that often went unnoticed."

Triantis was born November 10, 1962, in Pocatello, Idaho, to Pete Triantis and Maria Bardossas. He graduated from Jamaica High School in 1981. Before entering law enforcement, he worked construction alongside his father-in-law, experience his obituary described as building "not only structures but the work ethic and grit that would define his life."

Away from the job, he was a devoted Yankees fan who, by his family's telling, secretly loved watching the Cowboys. He took hunting trips with his son Lucas, and his playlists ran from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Rage Against the Machine.

He is survived by his wife, Corinne Triantis; his daughter Celeana and her husband Michael; his son Lucas; grandchildren Matteo and Nattalia; stepchildren Paul, Janice, Michael and his wife Natalie, and Shannon; step-grandchildren Kaitlyn, Isabella, and Gabriella; and brothers Harry and Tom.

The family has asked that memorial donations be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports first responders and their families, in lieu of flowers.