U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Mario C. Di Chiara contracted COVID-19 in February 2021 and never fully recovered from the virus. On April 28, 2021, while on duty, Officer Di Chiara suddenly became ill and was transported to the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York by fellow officers. His condition continued to deteriorate, and CBP Officer Di Chiara succumbed to his illness that evening.
Officer Di Chiara served 25 years of dedicated service beginning his career with the U.S. Customs Service on June 3, 1996, as an Import Specialist at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, and later served as a Customs Inspector. In 2003, he became a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer with the JFK Strategic Homeland Intelligence Liaison Division. Officer Di Chiara was survived by his wife, two sons, and brother.