A 24-year-old NYPD probationary officer from Queens died Monday after collapsing during physical training at the department's police academy, cutting short a career he began just five months earlier. Kamir Loubarria was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead in the early afternoon.
Loubarria collapsed during training at the Police Academy in College Point on Monday, officials said, according to News12 Bronx. Emergency responders administered CPR at the scene, which briefly left him awake and breathing before his condition worsened, according to Hindustan Times. He was rushed from the academy to Booth Memorial Hospital in Flushing, where medical staff pronounced him dead at approximately 1:00 p.m.
The cause of death had not been released as of Monday night, per the same account. Loubarria was a probationary NYPD officer who, according to the department, was committed to a life of service and keeping New York City safe.
City Leaders Rush to the Hospital
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch both went to the hospital Monday after learning that Loubarria's condition had severely worsened following his collapse, the outlet reported. Their presence underscored how seriously city leadership treated the emergency as it unfolded at the training complex.
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry issued a statement Monday praising Loubarria as a hero for stepping forward to protect New Yorkers, pledging long-term union support for his family. The union, which represents tens of thousands of active and retired NYPD officers, wrote that Loubarria's fellow police officers will continue to support his family.
Five Months Into an Intense Training Regimen
Loubarria had joined the department in April as part of a major hiring push that brought 1,079 recruits into the Police Academy, part of the city's effort to rebuild uniformed headcount toward 35,000 officers, as Hoodline previously reported. NYPD recruits complete roughly six months of intensive classroom instruction, physical conditioning, and tactical training at the academy before graduating into a 24-month probationary period, receiving full pay and benefits from their first day of training.
Loubarria was roughly five months into that training when he collapsed Monday, according to Hindustan Times. Recruits undergo intense physical conditioning in the months leading up to graduation, a stretch of the academy calendar that has drawn scrutiny before.
A Second Recruit Death in Two Years
Loubarria's death echoes the July 2024 death of 33-year-old NYPD probationary officer Edgar Ordonez, who collapsed and died during an outdoor tactical physical exercise at Rodman's Neck in the Bronx just days before his scheduled academy graduation, according to CBS News. That death prompted investigations into exertion training and environmental conditions during physical drills.
Loubarria's collapse occurred at the NYPD's main training complex in College Point, Queens, an eight-story facility that opened in 2014 and was renamed the Detective Steven D. McDonald Police Academy in July, per the LI Herald. The academy's namesake, Detective Steven D. McDonald, was shot and paralyzed in Central Park in 1986 and spent more than three decades mentoring police recruits on forgiveness and public service before his death in 2017.
Booth Memorial Hospital, where Loubarria was taken, was originally opened in Flushing by the Salvation Army in 1957 before evolving into NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, now the largest acute care teaching hospital in the borough, according to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. Locals and emergency responders still commonly refer to the facility by its original name.
The exact cause of Loubarria's collapse has not been determined. City officials and police union leadership say their focus for now remains on supporting his family as the investigation into what happened at the academy continues.
