Port Authority police cadet dies of cancer

Michael Kelly lost his fight against cancer — but he never lost sight of his dream of becoming a Port Authority police officer, colleagues said Wednesday.

Scores of Port Authority police officers and Port Authority police recruits turned out at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Point Pleasant, N.J., to give a final salute to the former corrections officer and bartender who had dreamed of becoming a Port Authority cop.

As department chiefs stood shoulder to shoulder with rank-and-file officers to salute Kelly, the PAPD’s Pipe and Drum band played as the recruit’s casket was carried out of the church to an awaiting hearse.

Kelly, 31, had joined the Port Authority Police Academy in 2017 — part of the department’s 115th class when he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

He got a medical deferral because he needed emergency colon surgery. After getting a clean bill of health, Kelly (photo) joined the 117th Port Authority Academy class in October.

But after just four days of academy training, his cancer returned, and he was hospitalized. He remained under a doctor’s care until Friday, when he died at Mount Sinai Hospital, colleagues said.

“Recruit Michael Kelly was a dedicated, hardworking recruit who never gave up on his dream of becoming a Port Authority police officer,” said Port Authority Police Superintendent Edward Cetnar Wednesday. “He set a lasting example for our future recruits to follow.”

As he fought his illness, his classmates raised over $7,000 through donations and the selling T-shirts memorializing a man who wouldn’t let go of his dream, officials said.

After seeing the support sparked by the recruits, the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association also donated $10,000 for Kelly’s medical bills, which will now go to his family.

He is survived by his parents, his sister and paternal grandfather.