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Off-duty cop sinks boyfriend’s car into Jamaica Bay during joyride

jamaica bay
An off-duty cop sank her boyfriend’s $70,000 SUV into Jamaica Bay on April 22.
Photo by Todd Maisel

An off-duty cop lost control of her boyfriend’s SUV in Marine Park on Wednesday night and sunk the vehicle into Jamaica Bay.

The 39-year-old cop was testing out her boyfriend’s Cadillac Escalade at the southern end of Floyd Bennett Field, a former Air Force base, when she hit the accelerator instead of the brake at around 8:45 pm, police reported. The $70,000 car bounded through the weeds, smashed into a rotten wooden barrier, and dove into the bay — more than 50 feet away from the paved roadway.

Both the driver and her boyfriend escaped the car unharmed, and took the crash in stride. 

“I didn’t mind going for a swim, it was pretty cold, but not this way,” said the boyfriend, who did not want to be identified. 

Police helicopters, boats, and firefighters rushed to the scene within minutes of the crash and took the couple to Coney Island Hospital for observation. 

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A police helicopter arrived at the scene after the crash.Photo by Todd Maisel

On Thursday, divers were on the scene marking the car’s location so that police or the Army Corps of Engineers could lift the car out of the water. The boyfriend stood on the beach for a large portion of the afternoon waiting for the vehicle to be removed.

“I’m just waiting for the police to pull it out of the water, I’m not even sure where it ended up,” said the car’s owner, a former Brooklyn resident. “I want to get some things out, like my wallet with my credit cards and papers. My girlfriend wants to get her badge (she’s an off-duty cop),” he said.

Police did not confirm that the driver was a police officer. No charges were filed against the driver.

The car’s owner wasn’t thrilled about the incident, but was glad he and his girlfriend were safe.

“It’s just a car, I can’t worry about it,” he said.

As a result of the crash, the Gateway National Park police force — which oversees Floyd Bennett Field — said it would step up enforcement at the park, where drivers often race along the old airplane runways. The police force will would issue more summonses and warnings to drivers for speeding and other infractions, it claimed. 

Update: The Daily News reported that the off-duty officer, who they identify as 39-year-old Halima Hadire, was riding in the car with a man who had a criminal record, with multiple past arrests for weapons charges. The NYPD confirmed that the officer has been placed on modified duty and that Internal Affairs will look into the matter.

This story first appeared on AMNY.

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The vehicle owner watched on April 23 as police marked the area where the Cadillac crashed into Jamaica Bay.Photo by Todd Maisel