BRONX, N.Y. - NYPD Housing Officer Brian Kessler, 28, was driving home from a shift at police headquarters when he collided head on with a parks department garbage truck on Shore Road inside Pelham Bay Park just after 8:15 a.m. Wednesday.

"Fire Department personnel extricated the officer from his vehicle and NYPD emergency service unit personnel administered CPR to the officer as he was being transported via EMS to Jacobi Hospital," NYPD Assistant Chief Larry Nikunen said at a news conference.

Kessler was pronounced dead at the hospital an hour later. The parks department employees inside the truck were treated at the hospital for minor injuries and released.

NYPD collision investigators spend Wednesday morning photographing Kessler's vehicle and taking measurements to reconstruct what happened.

There was ice on the road 500 feet from the crash scene, but it is not clear if weather played a role in the crash. Police said that, based on their preliminary investigation, no charges will be filed.

"We look at all things. For example, weather, speed, mechanics, environmental issues," said Steven D'Ulisse, the commanding officer of the NYPD Highway District.

For years, residents have complained about the stretch of road where the crash happened. NY1 first reported on the dangerous conditions in 2016, including a video which shows how ice on the road can make a head-on collision more likely.

The road is a popular shortcut for motorists to beat traffic on nearby highways when they ride to and from Westchester County.

Kessler was heading home to suburban New Rochelle when the crash occurred. He joined the police department just last April.

 

 

(28-year-old NYPD Housing Officer Brian Kessler graduated from police academy in October).

"He graduated from the academy in October of 18," NYPD Chief of Housing James Secreto said. "He's well-liked, a lot of his colleagues are distraught, as to be expected."

"We lost a good young man who was serving this city," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at another news conference. "Keep this family in your prayers. They're going to be going through a lot, having lost this good young man."

In a statement, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA) President Patrick J. Lynch said, "We are deeply saddened at the loss of our brother Police Officer Brian Kessler in this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kessler family, his fiancé and all his NYPD colleagues, particularly those at PSA 8. We also are keeping the NYC Parks employees who were injured in our thoughts as we wish them a speedy and full recovery."

Kessler's colleagues rushed to the hospital and lined the hallway as his parents and fiancé walked out.

Kessler was just beginning his career as a police officer, committed to saving lives, but his legacy will live on. He was an organ donor and his organs are being harvested to save lives.