John Keenan, the retired NYPD chief of detectives who took part in the arrest of “Son of Sam” serial killer David Berkowitz in the summer of 1977, died Thursday at the age of 99.
A veteran of World War II who took part in the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, Keenan joined the NYPD in 1941 and then joined the military, said an NYPD spokeswoman, adding that he retired in 1978.
Keenan often recounted the famous confession he got from the David Berkowitz — a serial killer who terrorized New York City during the summer of 1977 in a reign of terror that left six dead and another seven wounded.
Keenan served as the detective bureau’s top cop between March of 1977 to January of 1978.
