{"id":1403604,"date":"2026-02-03T11:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T16:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1403604&preview=true&preview_id=1403604"},"modified":"2026-02-05T09:28:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:28:34","slug":"nassau-county-cop-killed-patricia-espinosa-suspect-charged-dwi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/03\/nassau-county-cop-killed-patricia-espinosa-suspect-charged-dwi\/","title":{"rendered":"Off-duty NY cop killed in car crash; suspect charged with DWI"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Long Island man was arrested early Saturday morning in connection with a car crash that killed an off-duty Nassau County police officer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Matthew Smith, 20, a resident of Hauppauge, was driving while intoxicated when he ran a red light and struck another vehicle in Saint James shortly after 6 a.m., according to the Suffolk County Police Department.<\/p>\n

A preliminary investigation found that Smith was traveling northbound on Alexander Avenue when he crashed his Chevy Silverado into an Alfa Romeo traveling westbound on Route 347.<\/p>\n

Smith and his passenger, 25-year-old John Andali, of Centereach, were both taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.<\/p>\n

The driver of the Alfa Romeo, Nassau County officer Patricia Espinosa<\/a>, was transported to the same hospital but was later pronounced dead.<\/p>\n

Espinosa, 42, began working with the NCPD in 2017<\/a> and was assigned to the 5th Precinct<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Espinosa was a \u201cdedicated member of the Nassau County Police Department who gave her life in service to others\u201d and who \u201cunderstood the sacrifices of this profession,\u201d said Tommy Shevlin, president of the county\u2019s Police Benevolent Association.<\/p>\n