Linden cop, allegedly drunk in crash that killed 2, indicted

The Linden police officer behind the wheel in a fatal car crash that killed a fellow officer and a friend had been indicted on manslaughter charges.

NJ.com reports that Pedro Abad, who Staten Island prosecutors say had a 0.24 blood alcohol level during the head-on crash during the early morning hours of March 20, was charged on Thursday. Linden Officer Frank Viggiano and friend Joe Rodriguez were killed; Abad and Officer Patrik Kudlac were critically injured in the accident on the Staten Island Expressway.

Linden police have come under fire for Abad's 8 previous drunk driving arrests and possible special treatment he received by the court. Records show Abad was arrested on a DUI charge in Roselle in 2011. According to an earlier report by NJ.com, Abad drove his car through the wall of a neighborhood supermarket causing structural damage. That arrest apparently led to no citation or violation.