James Cornacchia

Investigator James Michael Cornacchia passed away at the age of 42 on June 1, 2020 due to contracting COVID-19 while in the line of duty.

Cornacchia was born in New Hartford, New York and was raised in Marcy, New York by his parents, Chester and Dyana. His family was rich with culture and traditions, being both Lebanese and Italian, as well as Catholic. Family always came first for them. Cornacchia and his twin brother were the youngest of four boys. He loved to cook, work on vehicles with his father, and was involved in sports and scouts. Throughout his childhood, he was also an active member of his church. Cornacchia later met his wife, Christal, while they were each out with friends. Their paths crossed and they danced the night away together. They later married and brought three amazing sons into the world.

Growing up, Cornacchia knew he wanted to be a police officer or chief. As such, after graduating high school, he pursued a criminal justice degree at MCVV. In 2000, he was hired at the Georgia Tech Police Department where he served for 19 proud years. He absolutely loved everything about his job, as helping others was his passion. He also thoroughly enjoyed learning all he could about the law and the justice system. Throughout his career, Cornacchia served as a motorcycle officer, was great at accident reconstruction, and aspired to continuously work toward moving up in rank to investigator, which he accomplished shortly before his passing.

Currently, Christal enjoys staying active in her sons’ lives. They are all very active in sports and scouts. In the future, she is excited to continue to watch her boys grow into strong and productive young men. She is grateful to the Foundation for relieving a financial burden in her family’s daily life and allowing her to keep a roof over their head. Finally, Christal would like others to know that her husband was a devoted family man, wonderful husband, awesome father, great brother, a blessing to his family, and a loyal friend. Cornacchia was incredibly inspirational and will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone who knew him.

Investigator James Michael Cornacchia is survived by his wife, Christal, his three sons, Sal, Gio, and Vinny, his parents, Dyana and Chester, and his three brothers, Tony, Brian, and Joe.