Off-duty Nassau police officer Patricia Espinosa killed in collision with alleged drunken driver near Smith Haven Mall, officials say

An off-duty Nassau County police officer was killed after an alleged drunken driver ran a red light early Saturday in Saint James, according to police.

Patricia Espinosa was killed when Matthew Smith, 20, of Hauppauge, drove a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado north on Alexander Avenue through a red light and struck her 2019 Alfa Romeo, which was heading west on Nesconset Highway near Smith Haven Mall, Suffolk police said.

The crash was reported shortly after 6 a.m., and Nesconset Highway between Moriches Road and Route 25 remained closed for several hours, a Suffolk police spokeswoman said. The road was reopened as of Saturday evening.

Espinosa, 42, was on her way to work at the Fifth Precinct when the crash happened, according to Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, who said her husband, also a Nassau officer, left for work soon after her in a separate car and came upon the crash on his way. Among her survivors is a 2-year-old daughter, Mia, according to the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association.

In an interview Saturday, Ryder said Espinosa took part in recruitment efforts for the department, trying to attract young, more diverse applicants. She also mentored new officers on the force, the commissioner said.

“She was everything that we asked of her, and a good cop,” Ryder said. “She wasn’t afraid to do her job and she made friends everywhere she went.”

Ryder said Espinosa typically worked opposite shifts from her husband, Officer Francisco Malaga, but not on Saturday. 

“She was on her way to work. Her husband kissed her goodbye, he says, I’ll see you in there,” Ryder said. “Going to work, [he] saw an accident on the side of the road. He stopped like every other cop does to help, and it turned out to be his own wife. He’s heartbroken.” 

Ryder said the department is offering peer support.

“This is trauma they see unfortunately every day, but when it’s one of their own it’s even harder," the commissioner said.

In a statement Saturday, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said he was "heartbroken" over Espinosa's death and ordered flags at half-staff from Monday until her burial, which has not been announced yet.

"I had the honor of marching with her in the Puerto Rican Day parade," Blakeman said in the statement, expressing his condolences to her husband and brother, Cristian Almeida, who is also a Nassau County police officer. She had another brother, David Almeida, who works for the Philadelphia Police Department, according to the PBA and a 2021 Facebook post by the Nassau department's Hispanic Society.

Espinosa joined the police department in 2017, according to Nassau County payroll records. She previously worked as a New York State correctional officer, according to SeeThroughNY.

Nassau PBA president Tommy Shevlin expressed deep sorrow in a statement released by spokesman Todd Shapiro, saying Espinosa's death is a "profound loss."

"Officer Espinosa served with honor, courage and compassion, and her death in a violent crash caused by an alleged impaired driver is a profound loss to our department, our county and every community she protected," the PBA said.

"Patricia understood the sacrifices of this profession not just as an officer, but as a wife, a sister, and a mother in blue. We stand shoulder to shoulder with her family and our brothers and sisters in uniform, and we will honor her legacy by never forgetting her service, her sacrifice and the family she leaves behind," the statement said.

According to the Hispanic Society post, which highlighted Espinosa for Women's History Month, Espinosa immigrated to the United States from Ecuador when she was 21. 

"At the time, she didn't speak English but quickly learned the language," the society wrote, praising her family's police legacy. 

Smith, of Hauppauge, and a passenger, 25-year-old John Andali, of Centereach, were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Smith was charged with driving while intoxicated, officials said. It is not clear when he will be arraigned.

Newsday's Sam Kmack and Alek Lewis contributed to this story.