Former NYPD Officer From Valley Stream Charged With Car Crash Cover Up Attempt: DA

QUEENS, NY — A former NYPD officer from Valley Stream was indicted Wednesday on charges that he had tried to cover up an off-duty car crash that left a 22-year-old woman with metal rods in her legs, prosecutors said.

According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, 26-year-old Jatinderpal Singh was indicted on 14 counts including second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, tampering with physical evidence, conspiracy and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting.

The charges, Katz’s office said, stemmed from an early morning crash on March 14, when Singh was driving his friend’s black Cadillac Escalade through South Ozone Park and hit the 22-year-old as she was crossing the street.

Prosecutors said Singh fled the scene without helping the woman he had hit with the car, who had been knocked unconscious.

The 22-year-old woman had suffered severe head and torso trauma, prosecutors said, and was taken to a local hospital. Following the crash, the woman had to have her spleen removed and metal rods placed in her legs, prosecutors said.

The day after the crash, prosecutors said, Singh told one of the passengers who had been in the car during the collision to take the car to Centereach and have it repaired. Photos taken at the auto body in Centereach showed damage to the front body and front headlight of the car, prosecutors said.

While he was off-duty at the time of the crash, prosecutors said Singh broke NYPD protocol by not reporting the crash to command or any NYPD officials.

Instead, prosecutors said the Valley Stream native told one of the passengers he had been driving with to delete “any photos and videos from his phone showing [Singh] driving the vehicle,” and also told the passengers to lie to police and refuse to comply with their investigation.

Singh resigned from the NYPD in May, prosecutors said.

“As alleged, this defendant was sworn to uphold the law and instead showed complete disregard for the rules of the road as he sped through the streets of Queens and struck a pedestrian,” Katz said. “He then fled the scene, failed to help the victim and attempted to cover up his alleged actions. There are serious consequences for endangering the lives of pedestrians and my office wishes the victim the very best as she continues to recover from this traumatic incident.”

In addition to the charges mentioned above, prosecutors said Singh was also charged with official misconduct, second-degree obstructing governmental administration, reckless driving, operating a vehicle at unreasonable speed, driving over the speed limit, running a red light, failing to exercise due care and running a stop sign. Prosecutors said Singh is due back in court Sept. 24 and could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.