DEC 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 12

AROUND THE COUNTRY

AROUND THE COUNTRY YONKERS, NY. Yonkers Police Sergeant Frank Gualdino was killed by a 16 year driver with a learner’s permit. By Myles Miller YONKERS, NY – The Yonkers police sergeant killed in a multi-vehicle crash involving a BMW and Bee-Line bus a day ago was identified Friday as Frank Gualdino, a married father of two who served the department’s traffic division, according to police. Gualdino, who was recognized just last month for saving the life of a 3-year-old child while on a funeral detail, was driving an unmarked department vehicle while on duty on Tuckahoe Road around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when a BMW heading the opposite way apparently lost control, slid across the yellow line and into oncoming traffic. According to the preliminary investigation, the person behind the wheel of the BMW M5, a sports car, was a 16-year-old with a learner’s permit, Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said Friday. No one with a valid driver’s license was in the vehicle, Sapienza said. He also said the teenage driver appeared to have been speeding. Dashcam video released at Friday’s briefing shows the BMW SERGEANT FRANK GUALDINO driver lose control, cross over the line and slam into Gualdino’s late model Impala and the Westchester County Bee-Line bus. Sapienza said the investigation is ongoing, but that it appears the young driver couldn’t handle the “extremely fast sports car” he was driving. The video was released at a press conference on Friday. “Frank was the victim of a horrible motor vehicle accident that occurred yesterday,” Sapienza said Friday of the 24-year Yonkers police department veteran. “He was a personal friend, and he was an asset to this job. He was credited his job and he was a credit to the community. And this is a tragic, tragic loss for us.” Gualdino was the lone occupant of his vehicle and died at a hospital. The sedan also crashed into a Westchester County Bee-Line bus, according to police. There were about 30 people aboard at the time. Some suffered minor injuries. The bus driver was also hurt, but that person’s injuries were not considered to be life-threatening. The driver of the BMW was badly injured in the crash. He remained hospitalized in an intensive care unit on Friday. Details on possible charges weren’t immediately known. Gualdino, 53, was hired by Yonkers police in 1998. He had been set to retire next year. Officers stood at full salute as his body was transported from the hospital overnight. Funeral arrangements have not yet been released. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano described Gualdino as a friend, sergeant, decorated officer and a “good family man” who headed a prestigious unit. He said he was well-respected by colleagues and his Westchester community and offered condolences to his wife, Lisa, and children, Emily and Mark. “We mourn the loss of a tremendous officer. There’s also a family,” Spano said. “You know, we were all 16 once. We all have teenagers in our families. We know when you’re 16, you kind of like teetering at edge, you know, always telling your kids over and over again to watch it, to slow it down, drive slow -- and sometimes they continue to do what was just going on out there.” 22 The BLUES The BLUES 23