Wrong-way crash driver involved in 8 previous crahes

A funeral has been held for an off-duty New Jersey police officer killed in a wrong-way crash in New York that also left a friend dead and two fellow officers seriously injured. Services for 28-year-old

News 12 Staff

Mar 27, 2015, 5:55 AM

Updated 3,409 days ago

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A funeral has been held for an off-duty New Jersey police officer killed in a wrong-way crash in New York that also left a friend dead and two fellow officers seriously injured.
Services for 28-year-old Officer Frank Viggiano took place Thursday in Linden, where he worked. He'll be buried in Fairview.
Officials say he and 28-year-old Joseph Rodriguez died when the car they were riding in crashed head-on into a truck March 20 in Staten Island after a night at a strip club.
Driver Pedro Abad Jr. and passenger Patrik Kudlac remain hospitalized. Both are Linden police officers.
Abad previously had his driver's license suspended in 2013 for driving under the influence. He was also issued summonses for DUI and careless driving in 2011 after jumping a curb and slamming into the side of the New Way Supermarket in Roselle. The charges were later dismissed, according to court documents obtained by News 12 New Jersey. However, the documents did not give a reason for the dismissal.
News 12 New Jersey has also learned Abad has been involved in eight motor vehicle crashes since 2005.
"We are looking as a department and as a city into what happened on our behalf and I think we'll be looking at another outside agency to help sort things out," says Linden Mayor Derek Armstead.
It's been reported that the Union County prosecutor is now investigating. It's not clear if alcohol played a role in the Staten Island crash. 


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