Cop accused in wrong-way DWI crash that killed 2: ‘God, do I miss them’

"I'll take more pain," Pedro Abad wrote. If it would bring his friends back, he'd take more pain.

That's the message from the Linden officer accused of driving drunk in a wrong-way crash that killed two of his passengers in March, as he took to Facebook and Instagram for the first time since the collision Wednesday. His accounts are private but NJ.com posted a screenshot of the message Thursday.

In the post, he expresses grief for the loss of Linden officer Frank Viggiano and Linden resident Joseph Rodriguez, both 28. But he stops short of taking responsibility for their deaths.

"Two friends that I had are not even in this world anymore," he wrote. "One I knew for 10 years, the other I knew for 20. Never had a problem with either of these men, and God do I miss them and wish that I could bring them back and I'll take more pain."

He continues: "There's so much more I want to say about these 2, but I'll see them again myself when I see then one day."

Also, in the post, Abad, who turned 29 this week, said there are "a lot of things going on right now that are just bad for me."

He wrote that he still can't walk normally because of his own injuries. He wrote that he has a huge scar on his head "and I'm guessing that's why I don't have a lot of memories. Memories about my life, things that happened during the holiday, or even somewhere happy I may have been with a friend."

Earlier this week, he pleaded not guilty to 27 charges, including aggravated vehicular manslaughter.

The Richmond County District Attorney's Office has said Abad turned himself into the NYPD and was arrested before appearing in Staten Island Supreme Court on Monday on crutches and with a wheelchair. He posted $25,000 bail after entering his plea and left the courthouse.

In an indictment, Abad is alleged to have had a 0.24 blood alcohol level and to have sped along the West Shore Expressway during the head-on crash in the early morning hours of March 20.

He also faces charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, reckless endangerment and other crimes.

Another passenger, Officer Patrik Kudlac, 23, was also seriously injured in the crash, as were other drivers Eddy Canela and Adrien Cedeno.

Authorities have said Abad and three men in his car had been at a Staten Island strip club before the 5 a.m. collision.

Louis C. Hochman is digital managing editor for NJ1015.com. Reach him at louis.hochman@townsquaremedia.com or on Twitter @LouisCHochman.