The three police officers who were injured when a man attacked them with a machete near Times Square on New Year's Eve were honored by the mayor during a ceremony at City Hall on Wednesday.

Officers Paul Cozzolino, Mickel Hanna and Louis Iorio were on duty at the corner of West 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue around 10 p.m. on Dec. 31 when 19-year-old Trevor Bickford attacked them, authorities said.

At Wednesday's ceremony, Mayor Eric Adams said the officers "displayed the professionalism that we have known to see in the men and women of the NYPD."

"There isn't a time when we can just look at the ball drop or we can just watch the confetti in the sky," Adams said. "We have to constantly be vigilant to watch those who are here to disrupt our public safety."

"The courage they showed on New Year's Eve is a clear example of the courage that is showed every day," Adams added.

Prosecutors said Bickford traveled to New York City to carry out the attack after he became radicalized by reading materials that espoused "violent Islamic extremism."

Cozzolino was working his first-ever NYPD shift when Bickford attacked him and his fellow officers with the machete, officials said.

Hanna, who joined the NYPD in April of last year, subdued Bickford by shooting him in the shoulder, officials said. All three officers, who were taken to Bellevue Hospital after the attack, have since returned to duty, Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Wednesday.

"Officers Hanna, Cozzolino, and Iorio returning to work is a welcome sight, but it is by no means surprising," Sewell said. "They're back because their determination and dedication to keep New Yorkers safe requires it."

Officers Paul Cozzolino, Mickel Hanna and Louis Iorio are pictured at City Hall on Wednesday April 5, 2023.
Officers Paul Cozzolino, Mickel Hanna and Louis Iorio are pictured at City Hall on Wednesday April 5, 2023. (Mayoral Photography Office/Caroline Willis)

Bickford, 19, pleaded not guilty to state charges, including terrorism and attempted murder, at his New York State Supreme Court arraignment in February.

He is charged with 18 counts related to the Dec. 31 attack in Times Square, including three counts of first-degree attempted murder in furtherance of an act of terrorism.

He was also charged with federal crimes in connection with the attack in January.