Crime & Safety
Case Against Teen Charged In Death Of Cop Moved To Family Court
The teen was charged criminally in Oct., but the case will now be heard in Family Court where he faces being ruled a juvenile delinquent.
YONKERS, NY — Yonkers police are reacting to news that the teen driver they say is responsible for the death of one of their own will not face criminal charges and the case will instead be heard in Family Court.
The Yonkers Police Department was notified by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office about the development in the criminal case involving the teen charged in the death of Yonkers Police Detective Sergeant Frank Gualdino.
A nearly yearlong police investigation faulted a reckless 16-year-old with a learner's permit driving a BMW sports car.
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The teenage driver, who police said slid into the unmarked police car and pushed it into a bus on Tuckahoe Road, was initially hospitalized in intensive care with severe injuries.
Gualdino was pronounced dead at Jacobi Hospital.
Find out what's happening in New Rochellefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Yonkers Police Department Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said in December of last year that a "preliminary investigation revealed the suspect vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed slid across the double yellow line on Tuckahoe Road and into oncoming traffic."
Police released a video recovered at the scene from another car on the bridge, which appears to show a car sliding out of control.
In New York State, when a minor is charged with a crime, the court system has the sole authority to transfer the case from the Youth Part of Criminal Court to be adjudicated in Family Court. In this case, the teen's age and the charge of criminally negligent homicide convinced the court that the case should be moved to Family Court.
"We are hopeful that despite the change in venue, appropriate justice will be delivered for all involved," Yonkers Police Department officials said in a statement released on Thursday. "We thank the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for all of their effort in prosecuting this case and for their continued support."
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