The veteran New York police sergeant, who is just nine months away from retirement, is killed after a 16-year-old learner driver drove into his squad car in a powerful BMW M5 three weeks after receiving his permit
- A 53-year-old police veteran was killed by a 16-year-old in a BMW in Yonkers, New York
- The boy drove a BMW M5 and had only had his driver’s license for three weeks
- Sergeant Frank Gualdino was on duty in a squad car when he was hit Thursday
- The boy was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for life-threatening injuries
- He left behind a wife, a 14-year-old son and a 20-year-old daughter
A veteran New York police sergeant who was nine months away from retirement was killed when a 16-year-old, who had only received his permit three weeks earlier, hit him in a BMW M5.
The married father-of-two Sergeant Frank Gualdino, 53, was hit in his squad car in Yonkers on December 1 when the boy lost control and slid into an oncoming lane.
Guadlino, a 24-year veteran, was on duty driving an unmarked 2012 Chevrolet Impala during the horror smash.
Because the BMW driver was a minor, his identity was not disclosed.
He was in critical condition after the accident with serious blunt force injuries and was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx along with Gualdino, who later died.
Gualdino is survived by his wife, a 14-year-old son and a 20-year-old daughter.
Dashcam video of a car traveling in the same direction as the BMW showed it losing traction and swerving into oncoming traffic.
Sergeant Frank Gualdino (pictured), 53, a married father of two, was hit in his squad car in Yonkers on December 1 when the boy lost control of the BMW and slid into the oncoming lane
Dashcam video captured of a car traveling in the same direction as the BMW showed it losing traction and swerving into oncoming traffic
Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza described Gualdino, who was due to retire in August, as a “cop’s cop”.
“Frank was a great guy. He was a personal friend, he was an asset to this job, he was a credit to this job and he was a credit to the community,” Sapienza said at a news conference Friday morning, local newspaper The Journal News reported.
“This is a tragic, tragic loss for us,” he added. Mayor Mike Spano also expressed his condolences, Fox 5 reported.
“Our hearts are heavy as the city of Yonkers has suffered an insurmountable loss. Sergeant Frank Gualdino was a cop and the epitome of Yonkers Finest,” he said.
“Yonkers is a close-knit, tight-knit community, and when we lose a member of our law enforcement community, we all feel a sense of grief,” Spano added.
“Frank was someone we all know and love.” The BMW also collided with a Westchester County bus.
The bus driver and some of the passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
24-year-old Yonkers Police Department veteran Guadlino was on duty driving an unmarked 2012 Chevrolet Impala when the accident happened Thursday night
The BMW also collided with a Westchester County bus. The bus driver and some of the passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries
“Our hearts are heavy as the city of Yonkers has suffered an insurmountable loss. Sergeant Frank Gualdino was a cop and the epitome of Yonkers Finest,” said Mayor Mike Spano
Gualdino lived in Mahopac with a wife, a daughter in college and a teenage son. After 21 years of service, he was promoted to sergeant in 2019 and became a supervisor in the traffic unit, according to The Journal News.
It was reported that in October Gualdino saved the life of a three-year-old boy who fell unconscious at his grandfather’s funeral. Gualdino took the boy to the hospital in his squad car.
The mayor also spoke about the teenager and the tragedy for his family. “We were all 16 once. We have teenagers in our families,” he said.