Oyster Bay Street Renamed For NCPD Lt. Who Died Of 9/11-Related Cancer

OYSTER BAY, NY — A Nassau County police lieutenant who died of a 9/11-related illness in 2017 was honored Wednesday in Oyster Bay.

Public officials and community members gathered at the corner of School Street and Berry Hill Road for a street renaming in honor of Michael P. Shea. Now that corner, near where Michael and his wife Ingrid Shea used to live, will forever be called "Lieutenant Michael P. Shea Way."

"When people pass by this block, they will remember Lieutenant Shea as an exemplary first responder who did not hesitate to act, even if the situation was perilous, and as someone who always put the safety of residents, ahead of his own," said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. "This street, in the community where he lived for many years, will forever serve as a reminder of his sacrifice and his extraordinary life."

On April 1, 2017, Shea died from brain cancer that he developed while working at Ground Zero after 9/11. The Levittown native was 52.

Saladino said he "gave his life as a result of his brave and selfless service to his undeterred commitment to duty."

Before he died, Shea served in the NYPD Highway Division for five years and then joined the Nassau County Police Department, where he worked for a total of 26 years.

He was described by his colleagues as "soft-spoken, polite, and gentle with a witty sense of humor" while always representing his members well.

"The street naming, going forward, will always allow others to read the sign and know what a great man, neighbor, friend, police officer, and first responder Mike was," Nassau police Sgt. Ricky Frassetti said.