LINDEN, NJ
Linden City police Officer Pedro Abad, the driver in a fatal wrong-way crash last month, has not been suspended from the department, a police spokesman said days after authorities disclosed blood-alcohol results showing Abad was intoxicated at the time of the wreck.
Abad, 27, has been hospitalized on Staten Island since the March 20 accident there. Official details about his current condition have not been released by the hospital, but Linden Police have said he is in critical but stable condition, and making slow progress.
On Monday, the Richmond County District Attorney's office confirmed that Abad's blood-alcohol content was 0.24 at the time of the crash, three times higher than the legal limit of 0.08.
At this point, no charges have been filed against Abad, a member of the police department for six years.
Capt. James Sarnicki, the public information officer for the city's police department, said that Abad has not been suspended and is still being paid. Abad's base salary is $92,416 per year, according to public records.
"It is my understanding that NYPD is still conducting an investigation of the incident and no information has been forwarded to our department," Sarnicki said.
The district attorney's office would not comment on whether they had or would notify Linden of any updates in the investigation, including the toxicology report.
"The matter remains under investigation, so it is inappropriate to discuss at this time what measures may or may not be taken," said Douglas Auer, spokesman for the Office of the Richmond County District Attorney.
Under the Linden Police Department's employee policies, an immediate suspension is called for if an officer is charged with a first-, second- or third-degree crime.
Commanding officers, supervisors or the police chief may also immediately suspend officers they deem unfit for duty or who present "a hazard to any person if permitted to remain on the job." An immediate suspension can also be levied if it "is necessary to maintain safety, health, order or effective direction of public services," according to the policy.
The suspension policy does not spell out a set procedure for an officer who is under investigation.
Abad is the subject of two separate investigations. In addition to the crash probe handled by New York authorities, the Middlesex County prosecutor is also investigating his employment and driving record.
Abad has twice previously been charged with drunken driving, once in Roselle in 2011 and then in Rahway in 2013. The 2011 charges were dismissed, but the 2013 charges led to a temporary license suspension and a requirement that he install an ignition-interlock device on his car until Sept. 2014.
The March crash killed two of the car's passengers, Linden Officer Frank Viggiano and friend Joseph Rodriguez. The fourth man in the car, Officer Patrik Kudlac, was critically injured. 2 Previous DUI, still gets to carry a gun and play cop.
No college, $92,000 a year (before OT), can't afford a Uber ride home.
Probably arrested hundreds for DUI.
Drives drunk the wrong way on a highway, kills 1 cop and 1 citizen
No transparency
Paid vacation