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Members of the NYPD gathered Saturday to remember a fallen brother in blue on what would have been his 50th birthday.

Officer Manuel "Manny" Vargas was a veteran of the force of more than 20 years. He started his career at Manhattan's 24th Precinct and then served at the Bronx's 49th Precinct. He also answered the call during the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Vargas later developed a deadly brain cancer believed to be linked to the toxins at ground zero. He died in November.

A sea of blue surrounded the 49th Precinct Saturday to reveal a street sign dedicated to Officer Vargas.

He was remembered as a tough cop and stern professional, who was also "the most gentle guy you could ever meet." Friends say he had a great sense of humor, and earned the nickname "Monsta" because of his big biceps.

The single father left behind two sons, including one who is serving the country and another pursuing his dad's interests in sports and exercise.

Vargas' career inspired a friend that he grew up with to become a cop himself. The friend now sports the same shield number that "Monsta" wore.

Saturday's event also served as reminder of those who were at ground zero who now face hardships because of their service.

"When you say, 'Remember Sept. 11,' realize there are officers at home struggling to breathe," says PBA Preident Pat Lynch.

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BX | Weather

BKFORECAST

PM, checking back in now with storm watch teams, hoo SECA Hope cold. Today, we saw some snowflakes and now you're telling me wet weather is coming this weekend, I'm a little worried. No snow. I'm less worried. Well, it's still going to be an impactful system and something that we need to really prepare ourselves for over the next couple of days. So we saw the cold. Today, saw a few of those festive flakes, a nice couple of days ahead and this is what you can expect for Sunday evening into Monday, windswept rain. So the wind will be an issue and the rain starting Sunday evening and even lasting into Monday morning, a line of gusty thunderstorms that could start pushing through as early as 10:11 p.m. on Sunday. So we're still fine tuning the storm as we get through the next couple of days. We'll let you know what, what we can expect. Excuse me. So the gusts 40 to 50 MPH that can knock down tree land, tree branches even cause a concern for some scattered power outages and localized flash flooding, especially for the most flood prone air. So let's get into the future cast this evening will remain quiet. The clouds are with us. It will be clear tomorrow morning but still cold temperatures in the mid thirties, but not as cold as it's been over. The last couple of days. Tomorrow's highs will be in the mid to upper forties. So that season will feel we're seeing the sunshine again. Haven't seen that for the last couple of days. So it will be something that we can enjoy and guess what the sun does take us into our Saturday. A blend of sunny clouds with highs in the low to mid f Saturday. The pick of the week go outside and the conditions or just prepare for what's coming our way on Sunday because it is going to be nasty out there with the widespread rain and gusty winds moving into our area. So here's the timeline of the storm. The showers could be here as early as Sunday afternoon around 12:01 p.m. But the brunt of the system will start moving into our area closer to midnight and we're talking about heavy rain and gusty winds behind the front lies a cold blast. So winds will start picking up 40 to 50 MPH. And then that cold.

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NYPD gathers to honor fallen officer at street dedication