The off-duty New Jersey police officer who was driving the car that slammed head-on into a tractor trailer on Staten Island last week, killing a fellow officer and a friend, had been arrested on drunken driving charges in 2013, records show.
Linden police officer Pedro Abad, 27, was driving a car when it slammed into a tractor-trailer while headed the wrong way on the West Shore Expressway early on Friday. The impact killed fellow officer Frank Viggiano and friend Joe Rodriguez and critically injured Abad and 23-year-old Patrik Kudlac, also a Linden police officer.
According to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Abad was arrested on charges of DUI and failure to submit to a chemical test after refusing to take a breathalyzer test during a stop in Rahway in Feb. 2013.
Eight months later, a judge suspended his license for eight months, and he was ordered to put an alcohol interlock system in his car for an additional 180 days. It's not clear if the penalties were levied for the drunk-driving charges or for lesser offenses.
He was cleared to drive without any restrictions in September 2014.
Abad and Kudlac both remain at hospitals on Staten Island.
Investigators have applied for a warrant to test Abad's blood-alcohol level. But it wasn't yet clear whether the warrant had been approved or executed.
Hours before the crash, Abad had posted a photo on his Instagram page of three shot glasses filled with what he identified as "Jack Daniels Fire on the house." But authorities said it was "too premature" to speculate on what caused the accident. The four had been at a strip club near the crash site, authorities say.
Rodriguez's wake is scheduled for Tuesday and his funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Linden. Viggiano's viewing is scheduled for Wednesday and his funeral will take place Thursday in Linden.
