What is it with Jersey City Cops and DUIs? (UPDATED)

One story that I followed on this blog in its earlier days was about a Jersey City police officer named Kevin Freibott. Freibott killed a 2 year old boy and nearly killed his mother after hitting the vehicle they were in. There is one more aspect to this story: Freibott was drunk. Freibott was scheduled to work that day, but called in sick instead and decided it would be a good idea to get his BAC to three times the 0.08 legal limit in Jersey and go out for a drive. Freibott received 11 years for killing a two year old; a light sentence for the murder of a child in my opinion. On top of all this (yes, there's more) Freibott's license had been suspended before for not attending a court-mandated program for drunk drivers. He was fired from the Middletown Township police department after that incident, but it seems that in Jersey City being a drunk driver and then disobeying a judge's order's to go to treatment for it is not enough to keep you off of the force.

Within the same week after Freibott murdered a 2 year old and nearly killed his mother, another JCPD officer was caught drinking and driving. This time it was Toms River native Thomas Porter, who was involved in a minor car accident in a parking lot in which (thankfully) no one was injured or killed. The arrogance of the act is ridiculous. But there's more: in June of 2007 (about six months after the Freibott/Porter incidents) it was reported that the mayor of Jersey City had been involved a year earlier in a drunken "incident" down on the Jersey Shore in which he was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and obstructing justice. I suppose that leading by example is not exactly something aspired towards in JC.

So why is all of this relevant? Because, unfortunately, another Jersey City police officer has killed an innocent person after getting behind the wheel of a car while drunk. Martin Abreu, 25, of Jersey City was the driver of the 2007 Camry that hit Marilyn Feng, 26, and Dennis Loffredo, 26. Feng was pronounced dead at the scene while Loffredo is at St. Vincent's with a broken leg. So just a little more than two years after Jersey City cop Kevin Freibott killed a 2 year old while drunk driving, Abreu thought that we has above the law and went out and killed a 26 year old while drunk driving. On top of all this, Abreu is an officer of the law and he should know better. It seems that JCPD would benefit from some alcohol awareness classes for their officers (the mayor should show up, too).

Of course because of the odd laws involving death by vehicle in this country, Abreu will not face charges on the same level as murder (though what he did was murder this woman with his car). Remember, Freibott only got 11 years for killing a 2 year old child. A teenager in Smithtown, NY recently killed three people with his car but only got 30 days in jail. Abreu has been suspended from the force in Jersey City and will probably get a few years at least in prison, but is this enough punishment for stealing a person's life and nearly killing another because of a selfish, despicable act? A Jersey City resident named Robert Reyes told the Daily News that Abreu was a "good cop." Good cops follow the law and don't kill innocent people. Peace.

UPDATE: As if the arrogance of drinking and driving (and killing someone in the process) was not enough for Jersey City cop Martin Abreu, his mother one-upped him by talking to the Daily News and saying that the whole incident was victim Marilyn Feng's fault. Some of her statements include, "It was her fault," "So my son went out and had a couple of drinks. He deserves to have a good time now and then," and "My son is a good kid, he doesn't deserve this." No one is saying that Abreu had no right to go out and have a few drinks and a good time, but the right to then mow someone down in your car because you're drunk and should not be driving is not recognized anywhere. I would also argue that Feng did not deserve to die after being plowed into by a drunk cop behind the wheel, but I guess that's just my opinion. I guess we can now venture a guess as to where Abreu got the narcissism and the "I can never do wrong" attitude that put him in this position. If Abreu's mom wants to help him, she should keep her mouth shut, because she is certainly doing him no favors in the realm of public opinion. I'll end this with a Jay-Z quote: "You can pay for school, but you can't buy class." Peace.

Photos - Police at the scene of the deadly drunk driving accident near Battery Park (New York Daily News), Paramedics help an unidentified victim at the scene (New York Post), Marilyn Feng (New York Daily News), Abreu's mother (New York Daily News)