Southampton rallies for retired NYPD cop after brain surgery in Colombia

Fink was hospitalized there after suffering a brain aneurysm, according to a GoFundMe page raising money to help cover his medical costs and travel back to New York.

The former police officer spent two weeks in intensive care before surgeons operated on him March 21 to remove a dissecting aneurysm measuring 9mm by 14mm in his right vertebral artery, the fundraising page reports. His family says doctors called the outcome a miracle.

“The surgery was a complete success,” reads the GoFundMe page, established on Tuesday by Laura Burgos. “Greg is a true fighter.”

Fink is expected to remain in the ICU for at least another week and will require strict medical monitoring for a minimum of one month before he is cleared to travel home.

Beyond his 20-plus years of service with the NYPD, Fink has been a fixture in Long Island’s soccer community as a director and coach with the Southampton Town United club.

For more than 18 years, he has led domestic and international humanitarian missions through the South Fork United Foundation, bringing youth volunteers abroad to underserved communities to teach empathy and social responsibility.

His family said the response has been overwhelming, with support pouring in from relatives, friends, NYPD colleagues, police departments across the country, the Colombian National Police, and soccer communities locally and around the world.

“Now, it is our turn to support the man who has given so much to so many,” the GoFundMe page reads. “Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.”

_{Top: Retired NYPD cop Gregory Fink (far right) during a humanitarian trip to South America in 2025 (Facebook).}