NEW YORK – An off-duty New York City police officer is dead and two other people were critically injured when their car crashed into a median on the highway early Saturday morning, reports say. One of the injured individuals is a member of FDNY, according to sources.
A 25-year-old, believed to be an off-duty NYPD officer, was driving northbound on the FDR near 23rd St. at around 2:30 a.m. when he reportedly lost control of his 2016 black Lexus, crashing into a median beneath a pedestrian footbridge, the New York Post reported citing police.
The driver was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Manhattan | FDR Drive.
1 person killed, two others are in critical but stable condition after a single-vehicle crash on the FDR Drive n/b near E. 23rd St. pic.twitter.com/dpYmcMYKBS— New York City 911 (@NYC_Alerts911) November 16, 2019
Police said another 25-year-old man sustained body trauma after he was ejected from the vehicle into oncoming traffic. The New York Daily News reported this person was a member of FDNY.
Video footage obtained by The Post shows the vehicle wrapped around a support pole in the median of the highway while emergency responders work to remove the car.
Sources told the Post that a second passenger, a 25-year-old woman, lost a leg in the crash.
Images from the scene showed the vehicle completely wrapped around a beam in the center divide with the roof torn off.
NYPD officer dead, city firefighter hurt in FDR Drive crash https://t.co/biJEkiZmsC pic.twitter.com/hYiCVuDzFW
— SMASH BLOCK T.V. (@SmashBlockTV) November 16, 2019
The passengers were taken to the hospital in critical condition. However, they are now said to be stabilized, police said.
Sources said the deceased New York City officer was assigned to the 76th Precinct in Carroll Gardens.
