Yonkers Police Department Announces Charges Filed in Relation to the Death of Detective Sergeant Frank Gualdino
After a nearly 11-month investigation, the Yonkers Police Department is announcing that criminal charges have officially been filed against the driver who caused the December 2022 accident that killed Yonkers Police Detective Sergeant Frank Gualdino.
On Thursday, December 1st, 2022, at approximately 3:34 PM, members of the Yonkers Police Department responded to the Sprain Brook Parkway overpass on Tuckahoe Road on a report of a motor vehicle accident. This accident involved multiple vehicles, namely an occupied Westchester County Bee-Line bus, a 2020 BMW M5, and an unmarked Yonkers Police vehicle, a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The operator of the Police vehicle was identified as Yonkers Police Traffic Unit Detective Sergeant Frank Gualdino, a 24-year veteran of this Department, who subsequently succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at an area hospital.
The operator of the BMW was identified as a 16-year-old male resident of Yonkers. He was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. Due to laws classifying him as a minor and the possibility of this case being heard in Westchester County Family Court, no further identifying information on this male will be released by this department.
This 16-year-old male was indicted by a Westchester County Court Grand Jury on Friday, October 27, 2023, for one count of Criminally Negligent Homicide, a Felony. He surrendered himself to Yonkers Police Detectives earlier today and was subsequently arraigned in the Youth Part of Westchester County Court this afternoon.
“The consequences of the irresponsible action of the driver resulted in a loss for our Yonkers Police Department, our City, and most importantly, the Gualdino family,” said City of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “Several law enforcement agencies dedicated time and resources by proactively pursuing this case, and we thank them for their effort and commitment. Thank you to Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah for securing charges and following through with this case.”
Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza stated, “To say that this situation has been painful and difficult from day one through today is an understatement, although this is the first step towards closure for all involved. Our Detectives worked diligently, as they do with all of their cases, to conduct a thorough investigation and presented that to our partners in the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. We thank District Attorney Rocah and her team for their work in pursuing this case criminally and our partners with the Westchester County Police Department for their assistance with the lengthy accident investigation.”
