Linden mayor promises investigation into officer's multiple DUI arrests

Linden's mayor promises an investigation into how the city's police department handled the multiple drunk driving arrests of the officer behind the wheel during an accident in Staten Island that killed a fellow off-duty officer.

Linden poice officer Pedro Abad (AP Photo/Linden N.J. Police Department)

"There will be a complete and thorough investigation of what happens and of all procedures and protocols that were or were not followed," Mayor Derek Armstead told NJ.com, who says the mourning process needs to be completed first.

Records show six-year Linden police veteran Pedro Abad Jr. was arrested on a DUI charge in Roselle in 2011. According to NJ.com, Adad drove his car through the wall of a neighborhood supermarket causing structural damage. That arrest apparently led to no citation or violation.

A spokeswoman for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission said Tuesday that Abad's license was suspended for seven months after a 2013 DUI arrest in Rahway. Linden police didn't comment Thursday on why Abad remained on the force or say what sanctions he may have faced.

Abad and Officer Patrik Kudlac were critically injured in the March 20 crash. Officer Frank Viggiano and friend Joseph Rodriguez were killed.