Police Officer James Lynch

Officer James Lynch was in the Port Authority’s main office at the World Trade Center on September 11th. He was there not because he was on duty but because he was dealing with medical forms from recent knee surgery. He was last seen carrying air tanks and breathing masks up to firefighters. The forty-seven year old was willing to help anyone, according to people who knew him. Officer Lynch was one of six growing up in New Jersey. He was a corrections officer at what is now known as East Jersey State Prison in 1975. He later worked for Conrail, then joined the Port Authority Police in April 1979. During the 1980’s, he was in the Coast Guard Reserve and earned an associate’s degree in science at Middlesex County (New Jersey) College. His heroic actions during the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center earned him a group valor citation. Officer Lynch, an avid fisherman who earned his professional captain’s license eleven years ago, was the father of James.