New Jersey

Probe Into Deadly Wrong-Way Cop's Driving Record Moved to Different County

The investigation into a New Jersey police officer who hit a tractor-trailer head-on on a Staten Island highway earlier this month, killing a fellow officer and friend and critically injuring a third cop, will be handled by a different prosecutor's office, authorities said Monday.

The Union County prosecutor's office said it would hand off the probe into the driving record and employment history of Pedro Abad Jr., who was off duty and behind the wheel of a car that crashed March 20 while heading the wrong way on the West Shore Expressway. The state attorney general's office said the investigation will be handled by the Middlesex County prosecutor's office.

The action is being taken to avoid the perception of any conflicts of interest.

Public records show Abad has been involved in eight accidents since 2005 and has two arrests for drunken driving in the last four years. No one answered the phone at his home Monday.

Abad was hospitalized in critical condition following the crash on the West Shore Expressway, which killed fellow Linden officer Frank Viggiano and friend Joseph Rodriguez. A funeral was held for Viggiano on Thursday; Rodriguez's body was laid to rest the day before.

Patrik Kudlac, another Linden cop riding in Abad's Honda, was also hospitalized in critical condition after the crash. His family said Monday his condition is improving but remains critical; a relative said there was optimism about his recovery.

Neither Viggiano's nor Rodriguez's families commented on the change in investigative direction Monday.

Authorities say that Abad was driving his fellow officers and friend on the wrong side of the expressway on the way back from a strip club when his vehicle slammed into the tractor-trailer. Authorities obtained a warrant to test Abad's blood-alcohol content following the crash, but the results haven't yet been made available. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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