Former Cop Pleads Guilty To Causing Fatal Wrong-Way Crash: DA

A former police officer pleaded guilty on Monday to causing a wrong-way fatal crash on Sunrise Highway last year, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.

Robert Scheuerer, 26, of Farmingdale was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, second degree manslaughter, aggravated DWI and second degree reckless endangerment.

Scheuerer had a blood alcohol content of .17, more than twice the legal limit, over an hour and 14 minutes after the crash on Sept. 27, the DA said. There were reports that he drank 10 pints of beer and a margarita at a bar before the crash.

According to police, he was driving his 2000 Nissan Pathfinder eastbound in the westbound lanes on Sunrise Highway when the SUV slammed into a 2016 Ford van just east of Route 231 in West Islip.

The van caught fire, and 37-year-old Brian J. Fusaro, of Bay Shore, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Scheuerer, who was off duty at the time, was seriously injured in the crash. He was dismissed by the department in January after working as a Suffolk County police officer for a year.

In exchange for his guilty plea, State Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho promised Scheuerer a prison term of three to nine years.

The District Attorney’s Office recommended a sentence of four to 12 years of incarceration.

Camacho directed Scheuerer to surrender on January 18 to begin his sentence.

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