Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Carnage

Two Cops Arrested for Drunken Hit-and-Runs In As Many Days

Photo: Franz Golhen

If the NYPD is serious about traffic safety, its rank-and-file haven't gotten the message.

In the last two days, two off-duty NYPD officers were arrested for fleeing the scene of a collision they caused while under the influence of alcohol.

On Thursday morning, 32-year-old officer Brayan Terrazas was arrested for drunk driving after fleeing the scene of a collision where he had struck and injured a pedestrian.

Terrazas ran a red light on 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, just before 7 a.m., police sources told the Post. Officers pulled him over about a quarter-mile away. When he got out of the car, "he was swaying while he was walking, had watery eyes and reeked of alcohol," the Post reported.

The second collision occurred late last night at around 1 a.m. within the confines of the 6th Precinct, which covers the West Village.

The driver, 30-year-old NYPD officer Samantha Medina, strike a 24-year-old pedestrian mid-block on Christopher Street between Hudson Street and Greenwich Avenue.

Medina was arrested and charged with fleeing the scene of a collision involving injuries, driving while intoxicated, and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

NYPD officers have a long history of dangerous drunken driving, as Streetsblog has documented.

In 2016, off-duty traffic cop Nicholas Batka, 28, hopped the curb at Bedford Avenue and North 8th Street and struck four college students — killing one, 21-year-old Andrew Esquivel.

Batka was fired and charged with assault, manslaughter, homicide, and driving while intoxicated. In the tragedy's aftermath, then-NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said NYPD officers were involved in three "drunken-driving episodes" per month, but downplayed the issue.

"That is not a problem in the department," Bratton said, "but we treat it very seriously."

It's unclear if Bratton's successor, current Commissioner James O'Neill, feels the same way.

Streetsblog has reached out to NYPD for comment.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Brooklyn Judge Once Again Declines to Rip Up Bedford Ave. Protected Bike Lane… For Now

Well-connected lawyer Frank Seddio argued against the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane in court on Tuesday.

Money for Something: Funding OK’d, But Details Missing For ‘Dept. Of Sustainable Delivery’

The mayor got the Council to sign off on $6.1 million for the long-awaited “Department of Sustainable Delivery." But what's it mean? No one is talking.

July 1, 2025

Incoming Albany Mayor Could Help Safe Streets Movement Statewide

The state capital is built for the car and that is how it is experienced by our lawmakers. But could that change under a new mayor? Here's hoping.

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Child Sacrificed to the SUV Edition

Stop de kindermoord! An 8-year-old boy killed by an SUV driver is the latest victim of America's obsession with big cars. Plus other news.

July 1, 2025

DOT Testimony: Removing Bedford Ave. Bike Lane Will ‘Reduce Safety’

"Removing the protected bike lane won’t remove cyclists — it will only make the street less safe," the DOT said. "The city risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor."

June 30, 2025

Hochul Signs Speed Camera Reauthorization, Enforcement Continues Through 2030

Stating a clear fact that scores of state legislators reject, Hochul said, "Speed cameras save lives and keep New Yorkers safe."

June 30, 2025
See all posts