NYPD officers charged with covering up drunk driving crash, officials say
By Alexa Herrera, Alice Gainer
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NEW YORK (WCBS) — Two NYPD officers allegedly covered up a drunk driving crash involving an off-duty officer by manipulating their body cameras, prosecutors said.
Michael Caligiuri, 31, and Ryan McLoughlin, 30, were arraigned Friday on a host of charges, including tampering with evidence, public records and falsifying business records.
The two are accused of manipulating a body-worn camera during the incident. The NYPD says it initiated the investigation and referred the case to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
What happened? The two responded to a 911 call just before 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2024, about a crash involving an intoxicated driver near Eighth Avenue and West 26th Street, according to prosecutors.
They were told by a bystander that Eli Garcia, the driver of an Infiniti SUV, was under the influence.
Prosecutors said Garcia struggled to provide his license and registration to officers, but showed Caligiuri an NYPD identification card. There was also an NYPD-issued parking card on the dashboard of his car.
“I’ll hold your camera” Prosecutors said Caligiuri never questioned Garcia about his supposed intoxicated state. Caligiuri positioned his body-worn camera so it wouldn’t fully capture his interaction with Garcia, according to prosecutors.
Caligiuri and McLoughlin allegedly texted on their personal phones. McLouglin texted, “Idk what to do,” and Caligiuri responded, “It’s bad man.”
At one point, McLoughlin texted, “I’ll hold your camera.”
Then, Caligiuri removed his body camera from his chest and slid it into McLouglin’s hand, prosecutors said. McLoughlin allegedly put the device at chest level while holding it beside him so it would look like the other officer was standing next to him.
Caligiuri allegedly walked away so his voice wouldn’t be heard and called a supervising lieutenant.
Garcia was later arrested, resigned from NYPD Shortly after, Garcia allegedly drove away from the scene without asking or getting permission. Prosecutors said the two officers didn’t make an attempt to stop him or call over the radio to say Garcia left.
A police captain went to Garcia’s apartment hours later, where he saw his car apparently illegally parked in a crosswalk.
After the two spoke, Garcia was arrested and charged. He pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and resigned from the NYPD.
He was sentenced to a conditional discharge, an impaired driver program, a 90-day license suspension, and more than $1,500 in fines.
Arguments over accountability “The defendants allegedly went to great lengths to protect a fellow officer from accountability,” DA Alvin Bragg said. “This type of conduct significantly harms the public trust in law enforcement. Everyone must be treated the same under the law, regardless of their position or background.”
“Their reputations are being tarnished by this DA’s office because of assumptions, because what they were thinking, not what they actually did. This case was resolved a year ago and the person that was involved was arrested, was prosecuted. These police officers did their job. We should not be here today,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said.
A plea deal is on the table for Caligiuri and McLoughlin. If they were to take it, they would be terminated from the department.
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