Seaford native John William Perry honored with Manhattan street

A Manhattan street just two blocks from Central Park now bears the name of Seaford native John William Perry, who spent his life learning, running, acting, serving and, on Sept. 11, 2001, sprinting toward danger.

Perry was honored on Sept. 5 with the unveiling of John William Perry Way at East 101st Street and Madison Avenue, near Mount Sinai Hospital and close to the Central Park precinct where he began his career with the NYPD.

For Perry’s younger brother, Joel, the location was especially meaningful. “He loved New York City,” Joel said. “He was more passionate about the city than he was NYPD.”

Perry, a Seaford High School graduate, was a 38-year-old NYPD officer and lawyer who was preparing to retire from the department and practice law when the World Trade Center was attacked. Though he was off duty that morning, he rushed to the scene and was killed when the North Tower collapsed.

His first NYPD assignment came at the Central Park precinct, connecting the street-naming to a place where his career with the police force first began.

“It’s a stone’s throw,” Joel said of the distance between John William Perry Way and Central Park.

The ceremony brought together Perry’s family, police officers and members of his Seaford community for a day that included a police escort, an honor guard and visits to several places tied to his life and service.

Tom Condon, chairman of the Seaford 9/11 Memorial Committee and a longtime Seaford educator, attended the ceremony alongside Perry's family. He knew Perry long before he became a New York City police officer, serving as his guidance counselor and track coach at Seaford High School.

Condon remembered Perry as a tall, lanky runner who competed in track and was deeply curious about the world around him.

“He was really into learning,” Condon said.

Perry attended Stony Brook University and NYU School of Law, served in the National Guard and became fluent in several languages. Condon recalled Perry speaking Portuguese, Spanish, French, Russian and English.

“He knew a lot about everything,” Condon said.

Perry was also an avid runner, competing in five New York City marathons and countless 5Ks and 10Ks and was a member of the NYPD running club.

Acting was another one of his passions, having appeared in soap operas, films and other productions, sometimes taking roles that drew on his police background.

“He was really kind of a renaissance man,” Condon said.

To his siblings, Joel and Janice Perry-Montoya, he was also a mentor.

Joel said he would not have become a lawyer without his brother’s encouragement. All three Perry siblings eventually went to law school.

John also introduced Joel to books and ideas, encouraging him to explore economics and philosophy and challenging him to think about the world from different perspectives.

“He was an intellectual,” Joel said. “He was very philosophical. He was a thinker.”

When asked what people in Seaford should remember most about Perry, Condon pointed to two things.

“His love of learning,” he said. Then he added: “His commitment to service.”

Perry is already honored on Franklin Avenue near Seaman’s Neck Road, where a street sign bears his name. His story is also included among the Seaford alumni remembered through the community’s 9/11 memorial efforts.

Condon said he meets with Seaford’s senior class each year to tell students about the alumni connected to the tragedy.

Perry’s story, he said, offers a lesson that extends beyond the events of one day.

“He had a choice, and his choice was to save people,” Condon said.

His family said Perry’s connection to New York was personal. He lived in Manhattan and had embraced the city throughout his adult life. The street-naming ceremony became a journey through that life.

After the new street name was unveiled, Perry’s family and guests visited the 23rd Precinct, where officers remembered him as a valued member of the department. They then traveled to his first assignment at the Central Park precinct.

The day ended at the 9/11 Memorial, where Perry’s name is inscribed among those killed in the attacks.