Off-Duty NYPD Officer Killed in Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Hit-and-Run

Officer Jay Peña, a 30-year-old NYPD officer from Sunset Park and a top graduate of the Police Academy, was killed in a hit-and-run motorcycle crash on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway near Atlantic Avenue. Peña was off duty and riding home when a box truck, driven by Carlos Almanzar Toribio, struck his motorcycle; Toribio stopped briefly but then fled the scene and was later arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and other violations. Peña was remembered by colleagues, family, and friends as a dedicated officer with a charismatic personality and a real-life hero who had previously survived a serious motorcycle accident years earlier. His funeral was held at Our Lady of Angels Church in Brooklyn, attended by more than 100 officers, Mayor Eric Adams, and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, highlighting the deep impact Peña had on his community and the NYPD. The Glory Martial Arts Center, where Peña trained, expressed profound sorrow and organized a GoFundMe to support his family. The case has drawn attention to the dangers faced by officers and the tragic consequences of hit-and-run incidents.