Stamford Police Officer Charged In Connection With Off-Duty Crash That Seriously Injured Uber Driver: CSP

STAMFORD, CT — A Stamford police officer was arrested Monday and charged in connection with an off-duty car crash that seriously injured an Uber driver last October.

Volodymyr Ihorovych Molchanov, 24, turned himself in at Connecticut State Police Troop G in Bridgeport on Monday, where he was charged with reckless driving, tinted auto glass requirements and second-degree assault.

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Molchanov was able to post a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on May 4.

On Oct. 12, 2025, at approximately 4:36 a.m., the Stamford Police Dispatch Center received a 911 call reporting a motor vehicle crash that occurred in the 2600 block of Long Ridge Road involving a 2016 white Volkswagen Touareg and a 2016 gray Nissan Rogue, according to Molchanov's arrest warrant affidavit.

The driver of the Nissan, a Norwalk man who was 39 at the time, was found unconscious and trapped inside the vehicle. He needed to be extricated by firefighters, the arrest warrant affidavit said.

The man was taken to Stamford Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries, which included a hematoma to the head, a high neck injury, and no movement on his left side.

Molchanov was identified as the driver of the Volkswagen, and Alex Lauture, also an off-duty Stamford police officer at the time, was a front passenger, the arrest warrant affidavit said. The men were taken to Stamford Hospital for reported minor injuries.

On Oct. 20, Connecticut State Police were assigned to the investigation at the request of the Stamford Superior Court State's Attorney's Office because the incident involved two Stamford police officers.

Investigators found the Volkswagen was traveling at 73 mph two seconds before the crash, with an indicated speed of 69 mph at the time of impact, the arrest warrant affidavit said. The posted speed limit where the crash occurred is 45 mph.

At the scene, a Stamford police officer spoke with a 27-year-old witness who said he and his friends were dropped off nearby on Long Ridge Road by their Uber driver, the driver of the Nissan, the affidavit said.

The witness told police the Nissan exited a parking lot and made a left onto Long Ridge Road while the Volkswagen was traveling straight and collided with the driver's side of the Nissan, the affidavit said.

"I see our Uber driver make a left-hand turn out of the parking lot where he dropped us off and then, boom, I just see his car basically explode into like a million pieces," the witness told police, adding he did not see headlights on Molchanov's vehicle nor hear him brake, according to the affidavit.

Molchanov and Lauture got out of the car and asked what happened, something the witness said he "found odd because they crashed into [the driver's] vehicle," the affidavit said.

The witness also stated Molchanov didn't check on the Uber driver at any point after the collision and stood off to the side of the road, according to the affidavit. Additionally, the witness noted he did not suspect the Uber driver to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol "because his driving was fine," the affidavit said.

During an on-scene investigation, a Stamford police officer found an unopened High Noon alcoholic beverage on the front passenger side floorboard of the Volkswagen, the affidavit said.

At the hospital, Molchanov told police he and Lauture were coming from a bar in Port Chester, N.Y., and heading to a friend's house in Pound Ridge, N.Y., the affidavit said.

Molchanov agreed to perform field sobriety tests in a private hospital room and did not perform one of the tests involving his eyes to standard, but was able to perform the walk-and-turn and one-leg-stand tests to standard, the affidavit said.

Police noticed Molchanov's eyes were bloodshot and watery, and smelled the odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath, according to the affidavit.

Molchanov subsequently refused a breath test sample and to go through a drug influence evaluation, the affidavit stated.

Police secured a search and seizure warrant later in the morning to obtain a blood sample. However, Molchanov was discharged from the hospital without detainment or providing a urine or blood sample to hospital staff or law enforcement personnel, the affidavit said.

In an interview with police in the hospital, Lauture said he had some drinks at the bar, but couldn't remember how many, and that Molchanov didn't drink while at the bar, according to the affidavit.

Investigators obtained a signed receipt dated Oct. 12, 2025, at 3:49 a.m., in Molchanov's name from the bar, which showed the purchase of two High Noon alcoholic beverages, the affidavit said. The bar was unable to provide video footage.

Lauture also said after the crash, both he and Molchanov got out of the Volkswagen and went to check on the other vehicle, the affidavit said.

Blood and urine samples from the Uber driver tested negative for any drugs, the affidavit said.

As of March 5, a family member of the Uber driver reported he was doing much better after undergoing two spinal surgeries, and he was starting to talk and walk again.

"However, there was a long road of healing ahead of him," police wrote in the affidavit.

Stamford Assistant Chief Richard Conklin told Patch Molchanov joined the Stamford Police Department on Nov. 6, 2023, and Lauture was hired on Dec. 30, 2022.

Following the crash, Molchanov was put on modified headquarters duty where he worked solely at 725 Bedford St., Conklin said. Lauture is currently on regular duty.

Upon Molchanov's arrest this week, he was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Conklin said the SPD had to wait until the state police investigation concluded before the department launched its own internal investigation, which is now underway.