Hundreds of officers remember Suffolk colleague

More than 300 Suffolk County police officers attended the funeral Mass for the off-duty officer killed in a car accident last week.

Patrick Curley, 40, of Huntington, was killed in Commack on Friday after his black Volvo XC90 slammed into a garbage truck about 3:30 a.m. as the truck backed out of a business, police said.

Curley, a father and 17-year police veteran, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sgt. Jack Smithers had been Curley's immediate supervisor for the past 10 years, and had worked with the officer for 17 years.

"He was a very professional police officer, a great friend, a great family man, a great dad and he's going to be deeply missed," Smithers said.

The last time he spoke to Curley, Smithers said, they had talked about their vacation plans.

"He was going to go to Puerto Rico. It was an annual trip he was going to take with the family. . . . He was really excited. He was looking forward to the trip."

Officers from the MTA, Port Authority, and Glen Cove police and fire departments also attended the funeral at St. Patrick Church in Glen Cove.

Fourth Precinct detectives are handling the crash investigation.

The driver of the garbage truck, James Jarosch, 59, of Ronkonkoma, was not injured in the crash. A district manager for the company that operates Winters Bros., the company Jarosch worked for, told Newsday last week that he was on his regular route collecting trash from restaurants and small businesses early Friday.

Police issued Jarosch summonses for unsafe backing and an equipment violation.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Suffolk police have declined to provide more details about the crash, including the speed at which Curley was traveling.

Two Second Precinct officers, one in the line of duty and Curley, have been killed in traffic accidents over the past three years.

In 2009, Officer Glen Ciano, 45, died in Commack after his patrol car was hit by a drunken driver.