LINDEN — The Linden cop who drove the wrong way on a Staten Island highway, crashing and killing two passengers, had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit, according to an NBC report.
The report says Pedro Abad, 27, had a BAC of .24 percent; the legal limit is .08.
Abad was the driver in the March 20 wrong-way crash that killed a fellow officer and a passenger - and critically injured Abad and another officer - when he struck a tractor-trailer head-on on the West Shore Expressway in Staten Island.
Abad, a six-year veteran of the department currently earning a base salary of $92,416, was in a total of 8 accidents prior to the wrong-way crash, including two where he was charged with drunk driving.
NJ Advance Media uncovered that Abad was previously charged with DUI in crashes in 2011 and 2013, and was caught on a police dashcam unable to complete a sobriety test in the 2013 incident. The 2011 charges were dismissed when evidence was not turned over to Abad's lawyer.
The NYPD confirmed the four men were at the Curves strip club before the crash and said they are investigating whether Abad was intoxicated. They have obtained a warrant to test his blood, but would not confirm the NBC report today.
Abad and fellow officer Patrik Kudlac, 23, remain in critical but stable condition with slow progress, Linden police have said. Officer Frank Viggiano and passenger Joseph Rodriguez, both 28, were killed in the crash. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating Abad's driving and employment history.
A spokesman for the Staten Island District Attorney's office also would not confirm Abad's BAC, saying only, "There is no comment beyond saying the investigation is ongoing."
Julie Bolcer, a spokeswomen for the NYC Medical Examiner's Office, said her office was not the source of the report.
"If the ME's Office did run the toxicology for this case, our practice is that we do not comment on results," Bolcer said.
Abad's lawyer in his previous DUI cases, Greggory Marootian, said today that he is not currently representing Abad and does not practice law in New York.
No charges in the March 20 crash have been filed against Abad as of yet.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office did not return requests for comment. Officials at the Linden Police Department declined to comment or confirm the report.
The timeline below takes you through facts uncovered and events since the March 20 accident. Move forward on the timeline by clicking the right side of each slide.
Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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