NYPD patriot dies of 9/11 ills

A RETIRED NYPD captain who immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager and developed a strong patriotic sense of duty has died from a 9/11-related illness, according to family and union officials.

Capt. Carmine Cantalino, a Staten Island resident who was born in Italy, spent 25 years working for the NYPD, including a period in which he ran the 62nd Precinct in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, friends and family said.

Cantalino (inset) died Friday, just 10 days after his 61st birthday, according to his youngest daughter, Kelly Cantalino, 19. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and six children.

He never hesitated to labor for hours at Ground Zero and “gave no thought to the toxic dust that would result in a fatal lung condition,” his daughter said. “He insisted on being present, as all of Manhattan was in need.”

Cantalino came to the U.S. from Naples when he was 14 and spent “the next 46 years of his life making America his new, truly loved home,” his daughter said. He graduated from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, becoming the first in his family to obtain a college degree.

Kelly Cantalino said her father was a patriot and was honored to serve his city and country.

“His pride for his new country led him to serve 25 years for the NYPD, retiring at captain status,” she said.

Roy Richter, president of the NYPD Captains Endowment Association, sent out condolences Sunday on Twitter.

Cantalino was also a respected soccer coach for five Staten Island teams.

“As a father, coach, mentor and police officer, he truly was a man who could leave you with laughter in your heart and a touch of wisdom in your mind from a single encounter,” his daughter said. She called her dad “a man who did it his way and no one else’s, a bold man indeed with a large, courageous heart.”

Cantalino’s funeral will be held Tuesday at Colonial Funeral Home on Hylan Blvd. in Oakwood.

Authorities say 159 Fire Department personnel and 133 NYPD members have died from 9/11-linked illnesses.

As of August, the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund had distributed $2.8 billion to nearly 17,000 people suffering from cancers or injuries sustained during the 2001 terror attacks.