NYPD precinct commander suspended over crash with cabbie, DWI eyed: police sources
A veteran NYPD precinct commander has been suspended from duty following a drunk driving allegation made by a city cabbie, the Daily News has learned.
Deputy Inspector Paul Zangrilli, the commanding officer of the Fifth Precinct in Chinatown, was suspended without pay on Aug. 17 “pending trial of charges pursuant to the administrative code,” according to an internal memo shared with The News.
The 17-year department veteran may have been driving drunk when he struck the TLC vehicle with his NYPD-issued cruiser in Manhattan, police sources said. It was not disclosed exactly where the crash took place.
The cabbie, who suffered a minor injury in the crash, claimed Zangrilli was drunk, but responding officers disagreed and sent the inspector on his way after filing out an accident report, according to sources.
The cab driver was treated at the scene. No one else was injured in the crash and it was not immediately clear if the TLC vehicle was damaged.
Zangrilli returned to the Fifth Precinct station house following the crash, got into his personal vehicle and went home. A few hours later, Internal Affairs Bureau detectives went to question him about the crash but could not immediately locate him, the sources said.
The department suspended Zangrilli as IAB continues its investigation, said a high-ranking NYPD source who claimed Zangrilli was “fit for duty” on the night in question.
No criminal charges have been filed against the inspector.
Zangrilli served in the Bronx before being assigned the Fifth Precinct in 2019, department officials said. He earned $197,000 as precinct commander last year.
In his 17 years as a cop, he’s been hit with five civilian complaints, including three for abuse of authority, but was either exonerated or the claims against him could not be substantiated, department records show.
A man who answered Zangrilli’s cellphone Friday said the inspector was “not available” to speak about the suspension.
A spokesman for the TLC would not comment on the incident, referring all inquiries to the NYPD. An email to the NYPD was not immediately returned.
With Graham Rayman and Rocco Parascandola
