Friends, Family Bid Farewell To 2 Men Killed In Staten Island Wrong-Way Crash
LINDEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Two men who were killed in a wrong-way crash on Staten Island are being remembered as the investigation into the accident continues.
Family and friends filled Saint Elizabeth Parish Church in Linden, where Joe Rodriguez once attended Catholic school, for his funeral mass Wednesday.
"There was a line wrapped around the funeral home, all to see Joey, and it's just amazing how many lives he's touched," former classmate Sammy Sood told CBS2's Janelle Burrell. "Almost every single picture, he's smiling and having a good time."
Among them, the chief of Linden's police department who is also grieving from the crash that took Rodriguez and Linden Officer Frank Viggiano, whose wake is also being held on Wednesday.
Rodriguez and Viggiano, both 28, were killed early Friday when police said their friend, Linden Officer Pedro Abad Jr., drove the wrong way down the West Shore Expressway after a night at a strip club, crashing head-on into a tractor-trailer.
Abad, 27, and another Linden police officer, 23-year-old Patrik Kudlac, were critically hurt and remain hospitalized. The officers were off-duty at the time.
The truck driver suffered injuries that weren't considered life-threatening.
Detectives believe Abad may have been drinking before the crash.
Investigators have applied for a warrant to test Abad's blood-alcohol level.
Hours earlier, Abad had posted a photo on his Instagram page of three shot glasses filled with what he identified as "Jack Daniels Fire on the house.''
Linden Police had no comment about Abad's driving record and told Aiello they would only have looked at his Instagram account if someone had complained about what he was posting.
Many people told CBS2's Tony Aiello off-camera Tuesday night they feel Abad was a tragedy waiting to happen.
In 2011, Abad was charged with a DUI after he drove his car into a Roselle supermarket, but the charge was dismissed.
In 2013, he was again charged with a DUI in Rahway. Dashcam video shows Abad barely able to speak or walk after smashing his BMW into a parked car. He asks police to call a friend in the police academy, Aiello reported.
That October, Abad pleaded guilty and his license was suspended for six months. An alcohol interlock device was installed on his personal car 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.
Friends say Rodriguez volunteered in Linden and wanted to one day become a police officer like his friends. He'll be laid to rest nearby in Colonia.
Viggiano's funeral is scheduled for Thursday.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
