Police Officers Die of Rare Brain Cancer After Years Inside Toxic Headquarters

Three veteran Philadelphia police officers developed deadly brain cancer after spending years working inside a former military facility allegedly contaminated with radium, lead and other dangerous chemicals, according to a lawsuit filed by their families.

Officers Joe Cooney, Michael Deal and Andrew Schafer all worked at the historic Frankford Arsenal after the sprawling complex was converted into the Philadelphia Police Department’s Narcotics Unit headquarters.

Their families claim the site was never properly cleared of known cancer-causing substances left behind by decades of military manufacturing. All three officers were eventually diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer, and all three have since died.

Cooney, the last surviving officer named in the complaint, died in June 2026 at the age of 54.

The civil lawsuit was filed in December against several developers and public entities connected to the property, according to KYW Newsradio.

Attorney Bill Davis, who represents the families, said environmental studies conducted over the years repeatedly uncovered contamination at the former arsenal.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for reviewing former military sites, allegedly continued to find toxic materials during inspections after the facility was decommissioned.

“Not enough was done at the site to make it safe for people who are working there, like these narcotics officers,” Davis told KYW.

The Frankford Arsenal produced ammunition, weapons and other military equipment from before the Civil War until it closed in 1977. Philadelphia’s narcotics officers began working at the complex during the 1980s.

According to the lawsuit, the arsenal’s long manufacturing history left behind lead, radium and other highly toxic materials that were never completely removed.

Radium was once widely used at the facility to create glowing military watch faces, instrument dials and other equipment that needed to be visible in the dark.

The lawsuit claims officers working inside the building were never properly warned about the potential dangers surrounding them.

It also alleges that the number of glioblastoma cases among officers who worked at the arsenal is far higher than what would normally be expected.

Glioblastoma is a rare and highly aggressive form of brain cancer.

Davis said the concentration of cases involving such an uncommon disease should have raised serious alarm.

He claimed nothing was done to notify officers that they may have been exposed to dangerous substances while reporting to work each day.

The three officers named in the lawsuit spent decades serving the Philadelphia community.

Andrew Schafer worked as a police officer for more than 20 years. He spent 13 years stationed at the arsenal between 2002 and 2015.

Schafer was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2023 and died in 2025 at the age of 51.

His widow, nurse Diana Schafer, recalled noticing troubling changes in her husband before his diagnosis.

“He’d have, like, two focal seizures, just straight out stare while he was cooking,” she told KYW.

Despite the alarming episodes, she said her husband initially tried to carry on as usual.

“He was just a stubborn cop and just went on,” she said. “I said, ‘You need to go to the ER.’”

A trip to the hospital eventually confirmed the devastating diagnosis.

Michael Deal joined the Philadelphia Police Department in 1980 and transferred to the narcotics unit in 1994.

He was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2018 and died the following year at age 64.

Joe Cooney became a Philadelphia police officer in 1995 and joined the narcotics division in 1998.

He was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2024 and died in June 2026 at the age of 54.

The families are now seeking accountability from the organizations they believe allowed officers to work for years inside a dangerously contaminated property.

The Independent contacted the Philadelphia Police Department and Hankin Management Company for comment.

A spokesperson for the City of Philadelphia Law Department and representatives for the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development Corporation declined to comment, citing the ongoing lawsuit.