What to know
- The Yonkers police sergeant who was killed in a multi-vehicle crash involving a Bee-Line bus and a BMW a day ago was identified Friday as Frank Gualdino, a married father of two who worked in the traffic division of the department, according to the police.
- Gualdino, who was recognized last month for saving the life of a 3-year-old boy during a funeral, was driving an undercover department vehicle while on duty on Tuckahoe Road around 3:30 pm Thursday when a BMW stopped in the wrong direction apparently lost control and crossed the yellow line.
- According to preliminary investigations, the person behind the wheel of the BMW M5, a sports car, was a 16-year-old with a student permit, Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said Friday. There was no one with a valid driver’s license in the vehicle, Sapienza said.
NEW YORK – The Yonkers police sergeant who was killed in a multi-vehicle crash involving a Bee-Line bus and a BMW a day ago was identified Friday as Frank Gualdino, a married father of two who worked at the traffic division of the department, according to the police.
Gualdino, who was recognized last month for saving the life of a 3-year-old boy during a funeral, was driving an undercover department vehicle while on duty on Tuckahoe Road around 3:30 pm Thursday when a BMW stopped in the wrong direction apparently lost control and crossed the yellow line.
According to preliminary investigations, the person behind the wheel of the BMW M5, a sports car, was a 16-year-old with a student permit, Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said Friday. There was no one with a valid driver’s license in the vehicle, Sapienza said. He also said the teenage driver appeared to be speeding.
Dashcam video released during Friday’s briefing shows the BMW driver losing control, crossing the finish line, and crashing into Gualdino’s late-model Impala and Westchester County Bee-Line bus. La Sapienza said investigations are ongoing, but it appears the young driver was unable to drive the “extremely fast sports car” he was driving.
“Frank was the victim of a horrific car accident yesterday,” the Yonkers Police Department’s 24-year veteran told Wisdom Friday. “He was a personal friend and he was an asset to this work. He was credited for his work and he was a credit to the community. And that’s a tragic, tragic loss for us.”
Gualdino was the sole occupant of his vehicle and died in hospital. The sedan also crashed into a Westchester County Bee-Line bus, according to police. There were about 30 people on board at the time. Some sustained minor injuries. The bus driver was also injured, but that person’s injuries were not considered life threatening.
The driver of the BMW was seriously injured in the accident. He remained hospitalized in an intensive care unit on Friday. Details about potential charges weren’t immediately available.
Gualdino, 53, was hired by the Yonkers police in 1998. He would retire next year. The officers gave a full salute as his body was transported from the hospital during the night. The funeral arrangements have not yet been revealed.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano described Gualdino as a friend, sergeant, decorated officer, and a “good family man” who led a prestigious unit. He said he was well respected by his colleagues and his Westchester community and extended his condolences to his wife, Lisa, and their children, Emily and Mark.
“We mourn the loss of an outstanding officer. There is also a family,” Spano said. “You know, we were all 16 once. We all have teenagers in our families. We know that when you’re 16 you like to be nervous, you know, always telling your kids to watch it, to slow down, drive slow and sometimes they keep going whatever was going on out there.”
