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After a nearly 11-month investigation into a December 2022 crash that killed Yonkers Police Department Det. Sgt. Frank Gualdino, a 16-year-old Yonkers boy accused of causing the incident has been charged, Yonkers Police announced on Monday, Oct. 30.
On the day of the crash, Thursday, Dec. 1 around 3:30 p.m., Yonkers officers responded to the Sprain Brook Parkway overpass on Tuckahoe Road to a reported crash that involved an occupied Westchester County Bee-Line bus, a 2020 BMW M5, and an unmarked Yonkers Police vehicle identified as a 2012 Chevrolet Impala.
The police vehicle's driver, Gualdino, later succumbed to his injuries at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.
The driver of the BMW, the 16-year-old suspect, was also taken to an area hospital in critical condition after the crash.
Preliminary investigation in the days after the crash had determined that the boy had lost control of the BMW while traveling at high speed, swerving into the opposite lane of traffic and striking the Impala and the bus. He had not been in possession of a driver's license at the time of the crash and instead had a learner's permit obtained three weeks before, police said.
The boy's identity will not be released by the department because of his young age. He was indicted by a Westchester County Court Grand Jury on Friday, Oct. 27 for one count of criminally negligent homicide, a felony. He was later arraigned in the Youth Part of Westchester County Court on Monday afternoon.
"The consequences of the irresponsible action of the driver resulted in a loss for our Yonkers Police Department, our City, and most importantly, the Gualdino family," said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.
Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza also commented on the emotionally intense nature of the case.
"To say that this situation has been painful and difficult from day one through today is an understatement, although this is the first step towards closure for all involved," he said.
Gualdino, who lived in Mahopac, had been 53 at the time of his death and had been due to retire in nine months. He left behind a wife and two children.
He served with the Yonkers Police Department for over 20 years. During this time, he had been with the 3rd Precinct, Traffic Court, and the Traffic and Motorcycle Unit after being promoted to Sergeant. He was posthumously promoted to Detective Sergeant.
Nearly a year after his death, legislation has been proposed to rename the Tuckahoe Road Bridge over the Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers in memory of Gualdino.
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