PRESS RELASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 28, 2005

Contact: William J. Smith (718) 556-7150

NYPD Detective Indicted on Charges Related To Drunk Driving Accident
***Daniel Massanova, 44, Indicted for Actions in October 29, 2004 crash***

STATEN ISLAND, NY – Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M Donovan, Jr. announced today the indictment of a New York City police detective on the charges of assault, vehicular assault, criminal possession of a controlled substance and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The indictment stems from an off-duty incident which occurred on Staten Island in the early morning hours of October 29, 2004.

District Attorney Donovan stated, “Drunk Driving is a violent crime which endangers countless lives every day on our roads. Anyone who gets behind the wheel while under the influence is a ticking time bomb with a 2,000 pound weapon at their disposal. In this case, Daniel Massanova’s flagrant disregard for the law he was sworn to uphold resulted in serious injuries to these two innocent young women.”

Daniel Massanova (DOB 9/17/1960) of Staten Island, a detective assigned to the 1st Precinct in Lower Manhattan, is alleged to have operated his motor vehicle, a 1994 red Ford Mustang, while intoxicated, at an excessive speed, over a solid yellow roadway line, in an attempt to pass another motorist, thereby entering the traffic lane for vehicles traveling in the opposite direction, striking head-on a red Chevrolet automobile occupied by two females at the corner of Richmond Road and Otis Avenue.

Following a blood test, the defendant was found to have a blood alcohol content of .13 (serum) and .11 (while blood), and to be in possession of tablets/capsules of the controlled substances of zolpidem, amphetamine and oxycodone.

As a result of the accident, the defendant suffered a fractured right hip. The driver of the other car, a 24 year old Brooklyn resident suffered fractures of the femur, right ankle and left hand as well as facial cuts. Her passenger, a 29 year old resident of Staten Island suffered a fractured left wrist and assorted cuts, bruises, and scratches. All were treated at Staten Island University Hospital North.

Massanova has been charged with two counts of Assault in the Second Degree and Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree in connection with the driver and passenger of the vehicle he collided with; he has been charged with Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree. The defendant has also been charged with two counts of Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol and three counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree. Assault in the Second Degree is a class D felony which is punishable by up to 7 years in prison; Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree is a class E felony which is punishable by up to four years in prison. Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree are class A misdemeanors which are punishable by up to one year in jail.

Assistant District Attorney Rick Pasacreta, Chief of the Special Case Unit will be prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Mario Mattei, Chief of the Investigations Bureau. The defendant is represented by Eric Nelson, Esq.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, March 30th, 2005 in State Supreme Court in St. George.

The public is reminded than an indictment is merely an accusation, and that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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