Hail the hero
NYPD bigs pay respects at McDonald wake
TOP NYPD brass led a long line of mourners Wednesday at a jampacked wake for Steven McDonald, the department’s heart, soul and blue-clad saint for the last 30 years.
Hundreds of guests waited for up to 40 minutes to bid farewell to the 59-year-old McDonald, who served as a global inspiration after a Central Park shooting in 1986 left him paralyzed from the neck down.
“Steven never quit,” said NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill. “He continued to be a man of faith and preach peace . ... It’s a sad day, not only for us but I think for all of New York.”
McDonald’s open dark wood casket was flanked by more than 30 floral arrangements, including one in the shape of a gold NYPD detective’s shield.
He was dressed in his police uniform, with his hat removed. An array of photos captured McDonald with ex-Police Commissioners Raymond Kelly and Bill Bratton, New York Rangers star Mark Messier and Timothy Cardinal Dolan.
McDonald’s son Conor, an NYPD detective, shook hands with each arriving mourner and thanked the hundreds of guests for coming out. Steven McDonald’s wife Patti Ann also greeted the steady flow of friends, family and admirers.
“He was a gift to the city,” said First Deputy Commissioner Ben Tucker. “He’s no longer with us, but his spirit still survives . . . I think that will get us through.”
The crowd lined up outside the St. Agnes Parish Center in Rockville Centre, a short ride from the McDonald home in Malverne, L.I.
The wake was scheduled to continue Thursday, with a Friday funeral set for St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The McDonalds were regular attendees at the Midtown church for midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and were frequent guests of cardinals John O’Connor, Edward Egan and Dolan.