Det. Stephen Mullen, Longtime SCPD Officer, Dies Of 9/11 Cancer

Detective Stephen Mullen, a longtime Suffolk County Police Department detective, died on Dec. 7 from 9/11-related cancer. He was 55.

Mullen, a Massapequa resident, volunteered and worked for two days in Manhattan in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. He was diagnosed with salivary cancer in 2018, which eventually spread to his brain.

“The effects of the Sept. 11 attacks are still being felt by first responders,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said. “Detective Stephen Mullen responded to lower Manhattan to assist in the aftermath and he made the ultimate sacrifice. He was dedicated to serving the people of Suffolk County for more than 25 years and his contributions will be missed by the department.”

In his two-and-a-half decades with the SCPD, Mullen was honored 25 times, the highest of which was the Meritorious Police Service Award, which he received for his heroic actions responding to a plane crash in 2000. Mullen, who was an officer at the time, responded to a crash near Republic Airport in March of that year. When they arrived, Mullen and the other officers found the fuselage of the plane partially submerged in a sump. The pilot had been ejected from the plane, and two passengers were trapped inside. Mullen and the other officers stopped a fuel leak and then worked for 45 minutes to free the trapped passengers.

“He’s a good guy, a great detective and a true family man,” said Suffolk County Police Detective Thomas Bosco, who responded to the plane crash with Mullen and worked alongside him in various commands throughout his career. “You knew you could always count on him. We always worked together as a team, as a unit. He will be missed. ”

Detective Mullen entered the police academy in September 1992 and spent his entire career in the First Precinct. He served in Community Oriented Police Enforcement (COPE) and the Crime Section before earning his detective designation on May 14, 2006 for assignment in the First Squad.

“Stephen Mullen lived his life helping others,” Mullen’s supervisor, Detective Lieutenant Shaun Spillane, said. “He was dedicated to his family, church and his sons’ Boy Scout activities. On 9/11, he bravely volunteered to respond to the World Trade Center. At the First Squad, he will be remembered for his leadership as a union delegate and always helping his fellow detectives.”

Mullen is survived by his parents, Thomas and Janet; his wife Patricia; his sons Patrick and James; his siblings Thomas (Donna), Christopher (Carol) and Kevin; as well as by many nieces, nephews and other family members.

Visitation will be at the Hungerford & Clark Funeral Home, located at 110 Pine St. in Freeport, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 14. The funeral will be held on Dec. 15 at 9:45 a.m. at Our Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church, located at 37 South Ocean Ave. in Freeport.