14 DAY TRIAL // Described as “a fitting culmination of an outstanding career”, the bust of an iPhone thief during a decoy operation in the Times Square subway station marked the end of 31 glorious years of service for NYPD Officer Nelson Dones.
For the 57 year old cop who had also beaten stage-four cancer, the bust of perp Fernando Francis was the dome of a dream carrier that spanned over three decades.
“I couldn’t wait to be a cop,’’ said Dones, recalling how excited he was when he joined the Academy. “[Now] I ended with an arrest — it was like icing on the cake,” he said, according to the NY Post.
Dones was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2001 and, after failed attempts to cure the disease with chemotherapy, he received a bone-marrow transplant from his brother which ultimately saved his life.
The detective was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Award for coming back to the Finest after surviving the disease.