Off-duty police officer killed in crash on the FDR Drive
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Authorities say an off-duty police officer was killed and two other people were injured when their car crashed on the FDR Drive Saturday morning.
It happened around 3 a.m. on the FDR near 23rd Street.
Police say the driver of a black Lexus sedan was going at a high rate of speed when he lost control, and the vehicle slammed into a divider and overturned.
The driver, Officer Garman Chen, 25, was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. Officer Chen was a three-year veteran of the department.
A 25-year-old male passenger and a 25-year-old female passenger were both ejected from the car. The woman sustained a severed right foot.
Both passengers are listed in serious but stable condition. The male passenger is a member of the FDNY.
The Lexus was owned by Chen - family says he was likely on his way home from a night out.
Distraught friends and neighbors in the Kensington section of Brooklyn where Chen grew up are still in shock. They say he loved being a police officer and had aspirations of making Detective.
Police shut down the FDR in both directions for several hours following the accident but all lanes have since reopened.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Police are looking into whether speed or other factors played a role in the crash.
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