De Blasio: City mourns loss of off-duty NYPD officer from LI

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O’Neill struck  somber notes in Thursday’s monthly crime briefing, commenting on the death of officer Vincent Persaud, who was killed early Wednesday in a car accident  in Lynbrook as he was driving to work.

Persaud, 31,  suffered severe head trauma after his vehicle was involved in a collision as he was going to his job as a patrol officer in the 101st Precinct in the Rockaways, officials said.  He had been a police officer for almost four years.

“We lost another comrade in a tragic crash,” de Blasio said. “Our city mourns today a young man of real promise who devoted himself to this department  [and] cared about this city.”

“All members of the police department are extremely saddened,” O’Neill said. “He was married and his wife is 13 weeks pregnant.”

Persaud, a native of Guyana who  lived with his family in West Babylon, according to the NYPD, died as a result of a collision between his car and another vehicle around 6:40  a.m. at the intersection of Peninsula  Boulevard and Hempstead Avenue.

O’Neill went on to thank Nassau County police and emergency services units for their response to the accident.  He and DeBlasio were speaking with reporters during the crime briefing for April, in which they reported another month of record declines in crime.    

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.