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Shandaken, NY – Two off-duty New York police officers died in a horrific one-vehicle crash on Sunday night, just hours after one of the officers had gotten married.
Investigators said the crash occurred at 11:23 p.m., approximately one mile away from where Officer Michael Colangelo’s wedding reception was being held, WABC reported.
Officer Colangelo, 31, left the reception with Officer John Martinez, 39, who was driving a rented 2018 Maserati.
The vehicle left the roadway, struck a large tree, and flipped onto its roof, the New York State Police said in a press release.
Both officers were pronounced dead at the scene.
An unnamed 28-year-old male passenger was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to WABC.
The cause of the collision was still under investigation, WPIX reported.
Officer Colangelo had been with the NYPD for a decade, and was assigned to the department’s Emergency Services K9 unit, the New York Post reported.
His neighbor, Raymond Spatafora, said he often saw Officer Colangelo out walking his partner, K9 Jimbo.
“He’s a neighborhood guy. He loved his work,” Spatafora said.
He married his wife, Katherine, just hours before the fatal crash. The couple had planned to honeymoon in Costa Rica.
Officer Martinez, a 16-year veteran of the force, was assigned to the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn.
His coworkers described the married father-of-two as a “wonderful, terrific guy,” according to WABC.
The officers became friends while they served together at the department’s Emergency Services Unit, the New York Post reported.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of New York City Police Officer Michael Colangelo and Officer John Martinez, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, heroes. We’ll hold the line from here.