Early this morning, a driver going south on the northbound side of I-95 crashed into a tractor trailer which was going north before 2:30 a.m. in the Bronx. The wrong-way driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and it turns out he was a Bronx resident and off-duty Mount Vernon cop.
The driver was Reginald Velez, 29, and according to the Journal News, "[Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Carl] Bell said the driver was burned beyond recognition, so the identification of Velez is based on the car’s license plate number and a replica gold police shield." Bell did not know whether Velez had been drinking and said that the NYPD was investigating.
Velez, who was driving a Lexus, was driving the wrong way near Exit 11 when he crashed into the tractor-trailer. The Lexus immediately burst into flames and was very badly damaged (see this photo). The tractor-trailer's driver wasn't hurt and when he got out to see the Lexus, he told NBC New York, "There was no way I could help him."
Velez was engaged to be married and his partner said, "He was humble and eager to learn and never complained about anything. We had a good working relationship. We shared all the work. He was an awesome guy and always had a smile on his face."
