Linden Police Officer Charged with DWI After Fatal Crash Had 2 Previous DWI Cases

As the saga continues in the case of the Linden police officer who is accused of driving under the influence and causing a car accident that left two passengers fatally injured, it has now been revealed that the man had two previous charges for DWI within the last four years.

The current case against 27-year-old Linden police officer Pedro Abad Jr. stems from a fatal car accident that occurred in Staten Island on March 20th. Abad was allegedly driving under the influence when he drove in the wrong direction on the West Shore Expressway and collided head-on with a tractor trailer. Two passengers in his car, Linden police officer Frank Viggiano and Linden resident Joseph Rodriguez, died as a result of the accident, while a third passenger, Linden police officer Patrik Kudlac, suffered critical injuries.

Abad is now facing a 27-count indictment that includes charges for aggravated vehicular homicide and manslaughter. As for the DWI accusations, authorities have alleged that Abad’s blood alcohol content (BAC) at the time of the crash was three-times the legal limit of 0.08.

It recently came to light that Abad has been charged previously with DWI; in fact, he has been charged twice within the last four years. In one case, DWI charges were issued after Abad crashed into the wall of a store in Roselle store in 2011. His blood alcohol content after the car accident registered at 0.176, over twice the legal limit. After a year-long battle in Roselle Municipal Court, the case was dismissed due to a failure on the part of the prosecution to provide evidence to the defense.

In 2013, Abad was charged again with DWI and he was reportedly recorded on a police dash cam while failing a field sobriety test. The case resulted in the suspension of his driving privileges and he was also required to install an ignition interlock device in his vehicle after his license was restored. The mandatory ignition interlock device was no longer required after September of 2014.

For additional coverage of this case, access the following: Linden Officer’s Crash