He was a tough Irish cop from the mean streets of New York whose badge covered a heart of gold.
NYPD First Deputy Commissioner John T. Timoney was celebrated and mourned Tuesday at an emotional funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral attended by blue-clad rank-and-file cops, a famous literary figure and a host of politicians.
“He was also a heck of a lot of fun. What a laugh. He had, most of all, courage,” recalled Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.
The dedicated police officer combined his Irish bravado with his own special charm — and found a way to work with everybody, Bratton said.
“John Timoney was one of a kind. He was also the last of his kind. How fortunate for us. How fortunate for this great city,” Bratton said.
Timoney lived through some rough-and-tumble beginnings, moving to the city from Ireland with his brother Ciaran Timoney when they were teens.
He began patrolling the streets as a beat cop six years later, in the South Bronx, Bratton said.
“He took up Spanish. He wasn’t half bad, even with an Irish accent. He probably liked the chase a little more,” Bratton said.
The two met as young men on the force — and Bratton was quick to recognize Timoney’s singular talents.
“He got the best out of everyone. That was his gift. He understood hard policing. He understood soft policing,” Bratton said.
Timoney’s widow Noreen Timoney and their children Sean and Christine led the funeral procession into the cathedral, surrounded by hundreds of loved ones and police officers.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell took the podium to recall how he had asked Bratton for help years ago when Philadelphia experienced a crime surge — and Timoney showed up.
“After 30 minutes, I wanted to hug him, because John mapped out a mission. I was sold,” Rendell said.
Acclaimed author Tom Wolfe, who wrote “Bonfire of the Vanities,” shared his admiration for Timoney — a cop who could patrol a street with the same ease he discussed the works of the great Irish writer James Joyce.
“The South Bronx was a very tough terrain … John was one of the toughest Irish cops you ever met,” Wolfe said.
Among Timoney’s many achievements, according to his NYPD colleagues, was his role in ending the violence that ripped apart Crown Heights in 1991.
Raymond Kelly, then First Deputy Commissioner, called Timoney to help craft a response to the chaotic riots — and they ended 24 hours later.
The service concluded with a hymn called “On Eagle’s Wings.”
Pallbearers carried Timoney’s blue casket as the NYPD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums played a mournful tune.
Retired cop and beat buddy Tom Mullen, 67, said he and other former cops will miss Timoney’s no-nonsense way of living life.
“He was a rough-and-tumble street cop,” said Mullen, also Timoney’s a high school friend.
“He played a lot of Irish football. He could run you into the ground. He had stamina and he was just a great street cop. He never forgot where he came from. He was always very personable. He had that Irish charm.”
