POLICE Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

NYPD Sisters Remember Officer Father Killed in 9/11 Attacks

John Coughlin, a member of the NYPD’s elite Emergency Service Unit, Truck 4, in the Bronx, ran into the blazing South Tower to lead rappelling rescues with a rope and harness. The collapse of the tower killed him at age 43.

September 6, 2021
NYPD Sisters Remember Officer Father Killed in 9/11 Attacks

Erin Coughlin is an NYPD officer, her sister Kayla is an NYPD employee. Their father was an NYPD officer killed on 9/11. (Photo: NYPD/Facebook)

NYPD Sgt. John G. Coughlin, who died while trying to rescue people in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, left behind a family legacy.

Daughter Erin Coughlin, who was 16 on 9/11, joined the NYPD in 2012, and wears her dad’s badge No. 2275.

Ad Loading...

Kid sister Kayla, only 6 when their dad died, is now an NYPD video producer. She led the creation of a documentary on illnesses that cops suffered after working at Ground Zero.

Erin married a Police Academy classmate, David Harris, a K-9 officer. His German and Dutch Shepherd partner, “Coughlin” — named for their family’s 9/11 hero — lives with the couple.

Erin is the first female NYPD member to become a police officer after a parent’s death in the line of duty. “Following his path was always on the back of my mind,” she said.

John Coughlin, a 6-foot-2 member of the NYPD’s elite Emergency Service Unit, Truck 4, in the Bronx, ran into the blazing South Tower to lead rappelling rescues with a rope and harness. The collapse of the tower killed him at age 43, WMLeader reports.

The Coughlin sisters share a close bond with four others who joined the NYPD after their dads made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11:

* Sgt. Barry Driscoll, the son of officer Stephen Driscoll — John Coughlin’s ESU search-and-rescue partner who was killed at the WTC at age 38. Barry attended Boston University to study international relations, but switched gears after 9/11.

* Officer Jillian Suarez, who was 9 when her father, NYPD transit officer Ramon Suarez, 45, was killed on 9/11. Her father saved an asthmatic woman and then a seven-months-pregnant woman from the North Tower before dying in the collapse. He was posthumously awarded the NYPD’s Medal of Honor for his heroism.

* Joseph Vigiano Jr. and his brothers James and John were 8 years, 6 years, and 3 months old, respectively, when their father, NYPD detective Joseph Vigiano Sr., died on 9/11. Their grandfather, the late FDNY Capt. John Vigiano, helped Joseph’s widow Kathy, now a retired officer, raise the boys, but so did officers who had worked with their father and mother. “The NYPD became a second family to us,” Joseph said.

Ad Loading...

More Patrol

Pink Streamlight Wedge XT flashlight.
PatrolNovember 13, 2025

Streamlight Marks 15 Years of Support for Breast Cancer Research Foundation With $20k Donation

In its 15th year of supporting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Streamlight donated $20,000 to help in the fight against cancer. Donations were generated through the sale of special Wedge XT models and other pink flashlights.

Read More →
center circle image of PTSD Help Expanded surrounded by military and first responder images
PatrolNovember 11, 2025

Police-Led Mental Health Charity Expands to Include Veterans

Talk To Me Post Tour (TTMPT), a non-profit organization that has been providing peer-support programs and professional psychological support for first responders, is now expanding services to military veterans.

Read More →
police officer holding a folded flag and headline for Officer Killed
PatrolNovember 10, 2025

WakeMed Campus Police Officer Killed in Hospital Shooting

A WakeMed Campus Police Officer died after being shot in the lobby of the emergency department at a North Carolina hospital over the weekend.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Black background with blue graphic outline of state of Florida and headline Video Released: barricaded Suspect Falls Through Ceiling and Into SWAT Custody.
PatrolNovember 10, 2025

Video Shows Barricaded Suspect Fall Through Ceiling and Into SWAT Custody

Deputies in Indian River County, Florida, apprehended a suspect after he fell through the ceiling with SWAT members waiting below. The sheriff’s department released video of the apprehension.

Read More →
thumbnail for video series POLICE From the Show Floor featuring T2 Systems.
Patrolby Wayne ParhamNovember 10, 2025

From the Show Floor: T2 Systems

Learn about T2 Systems and its electronic parking enforcement solutions. Retired Chief John Holland outlines the benefits of using such a system to manage parking enforcement.

Read More →
view of a mobile observation trailer deployed in a parking lot against a blue sky
Patrolby Wayne ParhamNovember 10, 2025

Texas Police Department Adds Reconview Tower

A Texas police chief shares how the Decatur Police Department will use its new Reconview observation tower.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Thumbnail for POLICE video From theShow Floor: Traka
Patrolby Wayne ParhamOctober 30, 2025

From the Show Floor: Traka

Join POLICE as we visit with Steve Atkinson of Traka and learn about the company’s asset management cabinets and key lockers.

Read More →
image of conference stage top left, inset image of two men standing at right, and lower left logo for Team Wendy
PatrolOctober 29, 2025

Team Wendy Shares New DREW Data During Personal Armour Systems Symposium

Team Wendy shared data about DREW, a biofidelic helmet-test rig built to simulate real head-to-ground falls and capture both linear and rotational head motion, during the recent Personal Armour Systems Symposium in Belgium.

Read More →
Images for three athletes - discus, weightlifting, baseball, and inset image of San Diego highway sign and logo for 2026 US Police and Fire Championships.
PatrolOctober 28, 2025

2026 US Police and Fire Championships to Unite First Responders in San Diego for 59th Annual Event

The 2026 US Police and Fire Championships, featuring more than 35 Olympic-style events and new competitions, will return to San Diego, California.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Collage of police officers and a firefighter with FOX & Frends logo.
PatrolOctober 27, 2025

FOX News Channel’s FOX & Friends to Host Live Audience for National First Responders Day

In honor of National First Responders Day, FOX News Channel’s FOX & Friends will host a live audience made up of first responders and their families. Police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and other emergency personnel have been invited to attend the live program.

Read More →