Breaking News

The off-duty NYPD officer who was killed early Friday morning after a one-car crash on the Palisades Parkway in the town of Highlands has been identified. State Police say 45 year-old Charles Cato was heading northbound when his car left the roadway for reasons unknown and struck a tree in the median just north of exit 19. Cato was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead. This incident remains under investigation. Police ask anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact them at 845-344-5300 [reference case number NY2400969180].

An off-duty NYPD officer was killed early Friday morning after a one-car crash on the Palisades Parkway in the town of Highlands. State Police say the 45 year-old man was heading northbound when the car left the roadway for unknown reasons and struck a tree in the median just north of exit 19. The unidentified New Windsor resident was taken to St. Luke Hospital where he was pronounced dead. This incident remains under investigation. Police ask anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact them at 845-344-5300 [reference case number NY2400969180].

An Albany man was killed yesterday after he was hit by a truck in Nanuet. Clarkstown Police say 44 year-old Khurram Shahzad was driving westbound on Prospect Street when the truck stalled. He put it in park, got out and asked his friend, who was following him in another car, to help him back the truck onto a side street. The truck rolled back into Shahzad, causing the fatal injuries. The friend remained on-scene. Clarkstown Police ask witnesses to contact them at 845-639-5800.

The first major winter storm of the season expected to hit Rockland this morning has so far turned out to be a dud. Rockland Sheriff Lou Falco says area highway departments are prepared for anything this time of year, and coordinate with each other well to keep the roadways as safe as possible…

O&R has activated the company’s emergency response workforce, as potentially damaging winds are expected to come through our area today packing speeds up to 20 miles-per-hour with gusts up to 50. The team consists of overhead line crews, tree removal experts, customer service operators, and others prepared to respond to emergencies throughout the storm.

A New City couple was sentenced yesterday after pleading guilty to killing the man’s grandfather nearly two years ago. Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh says 32 year-old Constantinos Doonan pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the killing of his grandfather, 85 year-old Constantinos Mastakouris, who was found after a welfare check, strangled to death in his Ruth Drive home. Walsh says 26 year-old Jo-Ann Haughey pleaded guilty to first degree Manslaughter in connection with the case. Doonan got 20 years to life while Haughey got fifteen years. Walsh says after they wrapped Mastakouris’ body in a tablecloth and kiddie swimming pool, they hid him in the crawl space of the home they lived in, then took his car, some jewelry, and a credit card.

Car Crashes, One Fatal, Impact Tuesday Morning Commute
Two crashes during yesterday morning’s commute, one of them fatal, caused extra delays for drivers in the Hudson Valley. A portion of the southbound New York State Thruway was temporarily shut down yesterday morning after a crash in Hillburn. DailyVoice.com says no one was seriously injured after a speeding car caused a crash that involved two tractor-trailers during the morning rush hour. Washingtonville resident Joseph Bonomi was reportedly issued violations for speeding and “moving from the lane unsafely.” He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Westchester Medical Center. And in Westchester, an unidentified driver was pronounced dead at the scene after a one-car crash on the southbound Hutchinson River Parkway in Eastchester early Tuesday morning. That’s according to News 12. It happened around 3am when the southbound car went off the road and hit an electrical utility box near Mill Road.