Man Indicted After High-Speed Crash Puts Officer On Life Support: DA

BRENTWOOD, NY — A Brentwood man involved in a high-speed car chase and crash that left a Suffolk County police officer fighting for his life on Jan. 5 has been indicted for assault on a police officer and other charges, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.

Cody Fisher, 29, was indicted on Friday for allegedly driving while impaired by the combined influence of alcohol and marijuana, speeding, failing to pull over, and crashing into Suffolk County Police Officer Brendon Gallagher’s vehicle during a high-speed chase that caused the officer's SUV to crash into a tree, hospitalizing him on life support, the DA said.

According to the investigation, on Jan. 5 around 6 p.m., Gallagher was conducting an unrelated traffic stop on the Long Island Expressway between exits 57 and 58. Police said Fisher sped by Gallagher in a 2021 Ford Mustang "going 95 to 100 miles an hour."

Gallagher tried to pull Fisher over, which turned into a high-speed chase where Fisher "sideswiped" Gallagher's vehicle, causing him to fly off the road, hit a tree, and overturn, while Fisher hit a light post, said Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring during a press conference on Jan. 6.

Officials said it took crews "over 30 minutes" to remove Gallagher from the vehicle and he was "white and in shock" upon arrival. He was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital with a torn aorta, "barely any blood pressure," and a "completely split abdominal wall," said doctor James Vosswinkel, SBUH's chief of Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care.

Gallagher remains at the hospital where he was upgraded from critical to "stable" condition on Monday.

Following the crash, Fisher’s vehicle allegedly traveled hundreds of feet on the side of the road before coming to rest, the DA said. When police arrived, they observed that Fisher had glassy bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, was unsteady on his feet, and officers observed the smell of marijuana coming from his vehicle, according to the DA.

Fisher was placed under arrest and refused to submit to a chemical test of his blood, the DA said.

He was later released and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, second-degree assault, second-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, and reckless driving, police said.

"The serious injuries sustained by Officer Gallagher, who was simply upholding his duty to protect our community, underscores the devastating consequences of dangerous driving," Tierney said. "The charges contained in the indictment reflect the severity of these actions, and we intend to hold the defendant fully accountable under the law."

On Friday, Fisher was arraigned before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins and charged with assault on a police officer, a Class C violent felony; second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony; second-degree vehicular assault, a Class E felony; second-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer, a Class E felony; second-degree reckless endangerment, a Class A misdemeanor; driving while ability impaired by drugs, an unclassified misdemeanor; driving while ability impaired by the combined influence of a drug or alcohol and drugs, an unclassified misdemeanor; third-degree unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, an unclassified misdemeanor; reckless driving, an unclassified misdemeanor; and speeding, a traffic infraction, the DA said.

Collins ordered Fisher to be held on $1 million cash, $2 million bond, or $10 million partially secured bond during the pendency of the case, and Fisher’s driving privileges in New York State were suspended, the DA said.

Fisher is due back in court on Feb. 20 and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count, the DA said.

He is being represented by Eric Besso who was not immediately available for comment.