National Guardsman, 27, killed when cruiser slammed his car at intersection
BY ANDREW STRICKLER
Newsday
SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. — A Suffolk police officer chasing a reckless motorcyclist, apparently through a red light, slammed into a car at a Mount Sinai intersection, killing the driver just blocks from his home, police said Thursday.
The death of Gabriel Bergianti, 27, Wednesday night occurred seven months after the department’s pursuit policy came under scrutiny when a Farmingdale man was crushed to death in his home by a suspect who led police on a high-speed chase.
Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer Thursday said the department was “deeply saddened” by Bergianti’s death and that the initial investigation indicated the officer acted within department policy when he went through the red light.
“This was not a pursuit. It was a traffic stop,” Dormer said.
Officer Robert Falisi was attempting to pull over a group of four motorcyclists when one of them ran the light and he followed, traveling one-fifth of a mile before the crash, Dormer said.
It appeared Bergianti had a green light as he drove his 1993 Ford Mustang convertible from Hallock Avenue onto Route 347, where the accident happened, Dormer said.
“Our goal is to find out the truth as to what caused the crash and what if anything can be done to prevent this type of tragedy in the future, including a review of our existing policy and procedures,” Dormer said.
Bergianti, of Port Jefferson Station, who joined the Army National Guard in January, was taken to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead, police said. Falisi, of the Sixth Precinct, was taken to St. Charles Hospital and treated for cuts to his arm and bruises before being released.
Thursday, the victim’s brother, Chris Bergianti, had no bitterness toward the officer, but he hoped that the motorcyclists who left the scene would be found. “I’d like to know who they were, who is responsible for this,” he said.
The three who had pulled over “did the right thing” and offered assistance at the crash scene, but police did not know their identities, Dormer said.
The fourth motorcyclist fled, he said.
The crash occurred shortly before 10 p.m. as Falisi responded to a call of motorcycles racing on Route 347, police said. As he drove east through the Hallock Avenue intersection, he saw a group of four motorcyclists on sport-style bikes headed west on Route 347, one of them doing an “extended wheelie,” Dormer said.
Falisi made a U-turn, turned on his emergency lights and siren, and followed the bikes back toward the intersection. Three of the bikers pulled over, but one rider accelerated through a red light, with Falisi close behind him. “It was obvious this guy was intending to take off,” Dormer said.
Suffolk pursuit policy states that “the officer can proceed through the red light if they have activated their siren and their emergency lights, but they should do so with caution,” Dormer said.
The policy also requires officers to make an initial determination if a pursuit has begun and radio their supervisor for permission to continue that chase. In this incident, Dormer said, it did not appear the officer had enough time to make the initial determination.
Lindsay Eylers, 18, of Port Jefferson, was in the passenger seat of a car following the four motorcyclists and said she saw the police car accelerate after the bikes with its emergency lights on, but she did not hear a siren.
The police car did not appear to slow as it entered the intersection and crashed into the Mustang, Eylers said. “It looked to me like he was just focused on the motorcycle.”
Bergianti’s death comes less than seven months after William Calhoun, 59, of Farmingdale, was killed during a police pursuit on Dec. 30. In that incident, Suffolk officers approached two men suspected of dealing drugs in North Amityville. The driver fled and led police on a high-speed chase through North Amityville and Farmingdale. The suspect, Richard Mair, lost control of his car on Route 109 and crashed into Calhoun’s house, killing him as he lay on his sofa.
The Calhoun family has filed a notice of claim to sue Nassau and Suffolk counties for $20 million. Dormer, citing the ongoing litigation, declined to comment on that case.
Dormer said that pursuit and other policies are “always under review” but no changes have been made to the pursuit policy since he became commissioner.
“We do look at our policies and training after these incidents . . . and if anything needs to be changed, we’ll change it,” he said.
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