An NYPD officer is incredibly facing no consequences from his attempt on Saturday to bash his way through a gridlocked street in Flushing, crashing into two cars and sending himself to the hospital — and it was all caught on a video worthy of the Keystone Kops.
The excitement started at around 3:20 p.m. on Saturday, near the intersection of 37th Avenue and Main Street when the unidentified NYPD traffic supervisor was behind the wheel of a department car struck behind one car and in front of another. It is unclear what interaction, if any, the officer had with the car in front of him, but the video below picks up the timeline:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=_yQxm1X6jug
First, after waiting about 30 seconds, the cop drives his vehicle into the back of the car in front of him, nudging it up slightly. Next, the cop drives backwards at a high rate of speed into the car behind him, creating more space for what is to come next: an even-faster sprint towards the front car, with the cop using his police vehicle as a battering ram to get the car out of his way. The video then cuts to reveal significant damage to the squad car.
But in classic, "Nothing to see here" fashion, the NYPD declined to reveal key details, saying only that the driver "appeared disorientated [sic] and was transported by EMS to an area hospital for further medical evaluation." NYPD Sergeant Jessica McRorie added that the collision "remains under internal review."
In other words, no charges have been filed. McRorie declined to answer further questions.
It is unclear if the driver was drunk, but NYPD personnel have a track record of dangerous inebriated driving, as Streetsblog has documented. Most recently, two off-duty NYPD officers were arrested for fleeing the scene of collisions they had caused while under the influence of alcohol —in the span of just two days.
And Streetsblog has also documented that close to 40 percent of cars parked in NYPD-only spaces or with NYPD-issued placards have multiple moving violations — a rate that's double the general public.
The YouTube video of the crash prompted New Yorkers to erupt on Twitter:
David was Streetsblog's do-it-all New York City beat reporter from 2015 to 2019. He returned as deputy editor in 2023 after a three-year stint at the New York Post.
