Beloved Long Island Police Officer To Be Laid To Rest Wednesday

RONKONKOMA, NY — A beloved Long Island police officer who was hailed by his colleagues for the fighting spirit that he showed while beating back cancer will be lain to rest on Wednesday in Coram.

Suffolk police Officer Vincent Pelliccio died in a car crash in Selden on Nov. 8. The 30-year-old Ronkonkoma resident was off-duty at the time. A mass for him will begin at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph's R.C. Church in Ronkonkoma, and it will be followed by interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, according to Moloney's Funeral Home in Bohemia.

Pelliccio started as a teacher, but decided to make law enforcement a family tradition and followed in the footsteps of his father, Tony, a retired New York Police Department detective, so he joined Suffolk in 2014. He was assigned to the 3rd Precinct where he was remembered as a dedicated officer who overcame adversity and was committed to serving his community.

In 2019, Pelliccio received Suffolk's Theodore Roosevelt Police Award — given to officers who overcome serious injury, disease, or disability and return to work.

Insp. John Rowan called his "perseverance and unwavering commitment" to his calling "inspirational."

"Vinny will be missed but not forgotten by this command," he added.

When Pelliccio was 26 years old in September 2017, his cancer had spread and he "bravely faced the disease with the same positive attitude and determination" that he showed daily at the 3rd Precinct, officials said.

He went through "intensive treatment," including radiation and chemotherapy, and it took its toll on his physical condition — he lost weight, lost his hair, and suffered significant weakness, officials said, adding that he still regularly visited his job to stay connected and "voice his unwavering desire to return to duty in his busy sector car."

Pelliccio also underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his stomach, "and bravely forged forward with remarkable fortitude, working diligently in the subsequent months to regain his strength," officials said.

He returned to full duty in his Central Islip sector in March 2018 and "his work ethic and job performance" earned him a position on the 3rd Precinct's Gang Task Force, where he worked as a plainclothes officer, according to officials.

"The courage and determination exemplified by Officer Pellicio throughout his battle with cancer, along with his steadfast drive to return to work, was a true inspiration to all members" of the department, officials said.

Pelliccio was named Cop of the Month in April 2020, along with Officer Anthony Devincenzo, after arresting "a violent gang member and drug dealer" the previous September, police said.

They two had been monitoring a known drug and gang location in North Bay Shore, and saw the gang member in front of a business and then found marijuana on the sidewalk near him, said police, adding that when the officers approached him, he ran into a hair salon "with multiple civilians."

In what police described as "a violent struggle" with the gang member, Pelliccio deployed his Taser and took him into custody, only to find "multiple weapons" and drugs, police said.

Pelliccio was also a union delegate in the Police Benevolent Association.

Acting Commissioner Stuart Cameron said Pelliccio was "an exemplary and distinguished member" of the department "whose dedication to his family, friends, and the residents of Suffolk County was an inspiration for others throughout his years of service."

"His loss is felt by everyone in the SCPD family, and I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends," he added.

Pelliccio is survived by his parents, Tony and Angela, his sister, Niki, and his fiancée, Danielle Trotta.