Bianca Bennett, East Village NYPD Officer, Killed In Fiery Bronx Crash

NEW YORK, NY — New York police officer Bianca Bennett was killed in an off-duty car accident on Wednesday night after the car she was traveling in overturned and caught fire, according to police.

Bennett, an officer with the ninth precinct, died late Wednesday night in a crash in the Bronx. Another off-duty officer who was in the car with her was injured, police said. The other officer was not identified, but police said he was 32 years old and sustained trauma and burns to both of his legs. He remains in critical condition at Jacobi Hospital, police said on Thursday.

Responding officers found Bennett, 27, with severe burns, and said she was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Authorities said the initial investigation indicates that the car the two officers was traveling in overturned and caught fire near the intersection of City Island Road and Park Drive. No other cars were involved, according to police.

Bennett, a Queens resident, was a proud NYPD recruit, according to her Twitter page. She posted photos and tweets about her job frequently. In December, she shared photos from a toy drive hosted by the ninth precinct on the Lower East Side. She wrote: "when u do something u love, u forget you're on the clock!"

Bennett graduated from the police academy in September. She spoke with NY1 at the time about what it meant to be a sworn police officer. "I have, you know, the utmost respect for this department, and it's just my loyalty to everybody here, to make them proud and to follow the footsteps of those in my family," she said in September.

This post had been updated with additional information.

Image via Twitter.