Yonkers veteran police sergeant killed in multi-vehicle crash

Mike Randall and Jonathan Bandler, Times Herald-Record
·2 min read

YONKERS − A Yonkers police sergeant who had served with the department for 24 years died in a multi-vehicle crash on Tuckahoe Road on Thursday afternoon.

Sgt. Frank Gualdino was driving west in an unmarked police car around 3:30 p.m. when the driver of an oncoming BMW apparently lost control, crossed the yellow lines and struck Gualdino's car and a Westchester County Bee-Line bus on the overpass to the Sprain Brook Parkway, Yonkers police said based on a preliminary investigation.

The sun comes up on a memorial display on Tuckahoe Road over the Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers, Dec. 2, 2022, for a Yonkers Police officer that died after a collision with an automobile and a Bee Line bus the day before.
The sun comes up on a memorial display on Tuckahoe Road over the Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers, Dec. 2, 2022, for a Yonkers Police officer that died after a collision with an automobile and a Bee Line bus the day before.

The sergeant, who was the only person in the car, was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where he died a short time later, police said. Later, his body was escorted from the trauma center by a procession of Yonkers police cars.

"Our hearts are broken tonight, and we ask that you please keep the sergeant's family in your thoughts and prayers," the Yonkers Police Department said in a statement.

A photo of Yonkers Police Sgt. Frank Gualdino, provided by the Yonkers Police Department, Dec. 2, 2022. The police sergeant who had served with the department for 24 years, died in a multi-vehicle crash on Tuckahoe Road on Thursday afternoon.
A photo of Yonkers Police Sgt. Frank Gualdino, provided by the Yonkers Police Department, Dec. 2, 2022. The police sergeant who had served with the department for 24 years, died in a multi-vehicle crash on Tuckahoe Road on Thursday afternoon.

Gualdino, 53, was promoted to sergeant in 2019.

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Just a month ago, he was recognized for his assistance when a young boy fell ill at a funeral.

On Oct. 27, Gualdino was among police officers assisting at the funeral of a retired Westchester County corrections officer. When the man's 3-year-old grandson became unconscious at St. John's Church, Gualdino provided aid and he took the boy to the hospital in his patrol car, according to a letter of appreciation from the boy's aunt that was posted last month on the Yonkers Police Department's Facebook page.

After the funeral procession, Gualdino returned to the hospital to check on the boy, she wrote.

Gualdino was on duty Thursday afternoon when the accident occurred. Police expect to release more details on the crash at a press conference Friday morning.

The driver of the BMW, who was the only person in that vehicle, was taken to a local trauma center in critical condition.

The bus driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and several of the approximately 30 passengers on the bus were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Journal News-lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Yonkers police veteran sergeant dies in car crash