Plaque, sidecar dedicated to NYPD officer Anastasios Tsakos

A plaque and a sidecar were dedicated Thursday in memory of an NYPD highway police officer from East Northport who was struck and killed last year on the Long Island Expressway by an alleged drunken driver.

The memorial, for Anastasios Tsakos, was at his former barracks, Highway District 3 off the Grand Central Parkway in Hollis, Queens, and held the day after the anniversary of his death, April 27, 2021.

Tsakos was posthumously promoted to detective — a practice for line-of-duty deaths that increases benefits to kin.

"This morning, the family, friends, and colleagues of Det. Anastasios Tsakos gathered @NYPDhighway District 3 to dedicate a plaque and sidecar to honor the life and legacy of our fallen hero. We will never forget Det. Tsakos' sacrifice for the citizens of New York City," the NYPD wrote in a tweet.

Tsakos, age 43, died after a car driven by an alleged drunken driver struck him on the expressway, near Exit 26 in Queens, as he diverted traffic from an earlier crash.

Jessica Beauvais, then 32, is accused of fleeing and ramming a police vehicle before being arrested. She faces multiple felony charges, including manslaughter.

Beauvais remains in custody at the women's jail on Rikers Island in lieu of $500,000 cash bail or $1.25 million bond, according to city Department of Correction records. Her case is scheduled to be back in court on May 12, according to court records.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.