Funeral held for Linden man killed in wrong-way crash

LINDEN (AP) — Funeral services have been held for New Jersey man killed in a wrong-way crash in New York that also left one police officer dead and two others seriously injured.

More than 250 people gathered Wednesday at a Linden church for the funeral of 28-year-old resident Joseph Rodriguez. He was a passenger in a car that crashed head-on into a tractor-trailer early Friday in Staten Island.

Rodriguez and Linden officer Frank Viggiano were killed. Two other Linden officers — 27-year-old Pedro Abad Jr., who was driving the car, and 23-year-old Patrik Kudlac — remained hospitalized Wednesday in critical but stable condition.

Abad Jr. had previously had his driver's license suspended for driving under the influence said Elyse Coffey, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

The suspension stemmed from an accident in Rahway, New Jersey, in February of that year. A judge found he refused to submit to a chemical test and was also driving under the influence.

NJ.com posted police dash cam footage online Tuesday night (http://bit.ly/1HBW0gr) showing the 2013 arrest. In it, Abad is seen stumbling, slurring his words, unable to complete a sobriety test and asking for "Officer Webb," an officer on the scene, who he says knows him from "the academy."

His license was restored in March 2014, but he had to use an ignition lock until September 2014. Abad, who was hired as a police officer in 2008, was on the force at the time of the suspension. Linden police Capt. James Sarnicki said any discipline would be an internal personnel matter and would not be made public.

Abad was among four people in a car early Friday when he drove the wrong way on a Staten Island highway after a night at a New York strip club, crashing head-on into a tractor-trailer. It's not clear if alcohol played a role in the incident.

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