NYPD Officer and 9/11 responder Paul Johnson died on July 22 at his South Carolina home after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis, according to the New York Daily News.

On the day of the 9/11 attacks, NYPD Officer Paul Johnson arrived at Ground Zero just as the second tower fell — narrowly escaping death.

But the months of digging for victims amid toxic fumes eventually caught up to the Emergency Service Unit cop.

Johnson was diagnosed with the lung disease in 2010 — seven years after he retired from the force, his daughter-in-law said.