Suffolk County police revealed that the driver whose alleged drunk driving caused a crash that left a police officer dead in Commack had been arrested on DWI charges last month. Jose Borbon, 23, who stayed at the scene of the crash, was charged with DWI.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning: Suffolk police officer Glen Ciano was driving north on Commack Road, on his way to assist another cop, and trying to make a left hand turn when Borbon's vehicle, traveling south on Commack Road, "plowed into his vehicle at about 4:15 a.m... The impact spun the officer's car around and hurled it into a traffic pole, sparking a fire that erupted so fast there was no chance of rescuing Ciano," according to WCBS 2. And the fire was so immediate and intense that witnesses couldn't attempt to save Ciano; Newsday said "the vehicle was destroyed to the point that it was not recognizable as a police car." Ciano was a 22-year veteran of the force and leave behind a wife and two children.
The Daily News reports that Borbon "still held a conditional license that allowed him to drive to specific locations set by the state's drunken driver rehab program." Specifically, the Post notes, Borbon was only allowed to travel between work and home. The News adds, "Borbon's license had also been suspended in 2007 after he was involved in four crashes in one year, records show. It was reinstated two months later." Borbon will be arraigned later today.