DEC 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 12

AROUND THE COUNTRY
YONKERS, NY.
Yonkers Police Sergeant Frank Gualdino was killed by
a 16 year driver with a learner’s permit.
By Myles Miller
YONKERS, NY – The Yonkers
police sergeant killed in a
multi-vehicle crash involving a
BMW and Bee-Line bus a day
ago was identified Friday as
Frank Gualdino, a married father
of two who served the department’s
traffic division, according
to police.
Gualdino, who was recognized
just last month for saving the life
of a 3-year-old child while on
a funeral detail, was driving an
unmarked department vehicle
while on duty on Tuckahoe Road
around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when
a BMW heading the opposite
way apparently lost control, slid
across the yellow line and into
oncoming traffic.
According to the preliminary
investigation, the person behind
the wheel of the BMW M5, a
sports car, was a 16-year-old
with a learner’s permit, Yonkers
Police Commissioner Christopher
Sapienza said Friday. No one
with a valid driver’s license was
in the vehicle, Sapienza said. He
also said the teenage driver appeared
to have been speeding.
Dashcam video released at
Friday’s briefing shows the BMW
SERGEANT FRANK GUALDINO
driver lose control, cross over
the line and slam into Gualdino’s
late model Impala and the Westchester
County Bee-Line bus.
Sapienza said the investigation is
ongoing, but that it appears the
young driver couldn’t handle the
“extremely fast sports car” he
was driving.
The video was released at a
press conference on Friday.
“Frank was the victim of a horrible
motor vehicle accident that
occurred yesterday,” Sapienza
said Friday of the 24-year Yonkers
police department veteran.
“He was a personal friend, and
he was an asset to this job. He
was credited his job and he was
a credit to the community. And
this is a tragic, tragic loss for us.”
Gualdino was the lone occupant
of his vehicle and died
at a hospital. The sedan also
crashed into a Westchester
County Bee-Line bus, according
to police. There were about 30
people aboard at the time. Some
suffered minor injuries. The bus
driver was also hurt, but that
person’s injuries were not considered
to be life-threatening.
The driver of the BMW was
badly injured in the crash. He remained
hospitalized in an intensive
care unit on Friday. Details
on possible charges weren’t
immediately known.
Gualdino, 53, was hired by
Yonkers police in 1998. He had
been set to retire next year.
Officers stood at full salute as
his body was transported from
the hospital overnight. Funeral
arrangements have not yet been
released.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano
described Gualdino as a friend,
sergeant, decorated officer and
a “good family man” who headed
a prestigious unit. He said
he was well-respected by colleagues
and his Westchester
community and offered condolences
to his wife, Lisa, and
children, Emily and Mark.
“We mourn the loss of a tremendous
officer. There’s also a
family,” Spano said. “You know,
we were all 16 once. We all have
teenagers in our families. We
know when you’re 16, you kind of
like teetering at edge, you know,
always telling your kids over and
over again to watch it, to slow it
down, drive slow -- and sometimes
they continue to do what
was just going on out there.”
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