NYPD Botched Investigation Of Drunken Cop And Fatal Crash: Suit

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — A woman who survived a fatal Brooklyn crash has accused police of sabotaging their investigation and allowing a drunken off-duty cop to walk free, court records show.

Nia Jasmine Reynolds filed suit Wednesday against the city alleging Officer Rohan Shaw escaped criminal charges because NYPD officers used an un-calibrated Breathalyzer to test his blood-alcohol levels, federal court records show.

"The Police Department ... failed to properly record and/or conceal evidence to ensure Defendant Rohan L. Shaw would not be prosecuted for his criminal conduct," the lawsuit states. "[They] collectively engaged in actions to obstruct justice and deprive plaintiff of her civil rights."

A spokesperson from the city's Law Department stated via email, "We'll review the case."

Joanna Dixon, a friend of Reynold's who'd been celebrating her 23rd birthday, was killed instantly when Shaw t-boned their Mazda on Foster Avenue and East 55th Street the night of Dec. 6, 2019, the lawsuit contends.

Shaw was driving at about 70 mph and unable to avoid slamming into the car, driven by Kwesi Vidale, which had just rolled through a stop sign, according to the suit.

Reynolds, who'd been in the back seat with Dixon, required five hours' surgery for injuries that included a crushed pelvis, cracked ribs, brain bleeding and lung contusions, according to the complaint.

Reynolds can no longer bear any weight on her legs, the suit states.

Shaw was initially charged with criminally negligent homicide and vehicular manslaughter, but the Brooklyn District Attorney's office declined to pursue charges due to lack of evidence, according to the suit.

The case remains under investigation, the lawsuit contends.

Reynolds also accuses the city of failing to install traffic calming measures on a dangerous street at the heart of a predominantly Black neighborhood, legal papers show.

The intersection lies within a Census Tract where about 90 percent of residents identify as Black, 2020 data show, and along what the Department of Transportation designated in 2014 as a "crash corridor."

The stretch of Foster Avenue between Kings Highway and Ralph Avenue has seen 51 crashes that claimed six lives over the past 10 years, according to city data analyzed by New York City Crash Mapper.

The data site ranks East Flatbush second among the city's most dangerous neighborhoods for car crashes with 12 fatalities and 2,610 injuries in the past two years.