Two NYPD officers have been arrested and charged for covering up a crash involving a drunk, off-duty NYPD officer, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Michael Caliguiri, 31, and Ryan McLoughin, 30, allegedly let Eli Garcia, an off-duty cop, drive off even though he was drunk.
In October 2024, when a caller reported a crash on West 26th Street and 8th Avenue, Garcia, one of the drivers involved, struggled to provide his license and vehicle registration, but showed Caligiuri an NYPD identification card and also had an NYPD placard on his Infinti SUV.
Caligiuri supposedly never questioned Garcia about his intoxicated state and positioned his body-worn camera so that it would not capture his interaction with Garcia, before eventually removing it altogether, according to reports from the District Attorney's Office.
Caligiuri and McLoughin then began communicating through text message on their personal phones out of view of the body-worn camera.
Shortly after, Garcia drove away from the scene, without asking or receiving permission to do so. Other than waving their flashlights toward the rear of the fleeing vehicle, the officers made no attempt to stop the vehicle or call over the police radio to report Garcia had fled the scene.
A few hours later, an NYPD duty captain went to Garcia’s apartment and saw his vehicle parked illegally in a crosswalk. After speaking with Garcia, the duty captain found him to be intoxicated and unfit for duty. He was arrested and charged.
On Dec. 2, 2024, Garcia pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired and was sentenced to a conditional discharge, an impaired driver program, a 90-day license suspension and more than $1,500 in fines and restitution. He subsequently resigned from the NYPD.
Both Caligiuri and McLoughin are being charged with tampering with public records, falsifying business records, tampering with physical evidence and official misconduct.
“The defendants allegedly went to great lengths to protect a fellow officer from accountability,” said District Attorney Bragg. “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.”
