On-duty L.I. police officer killed in fiery car crash; DWI arrest at the scene
A drunken driver who had been busted for DWI just last month broadsided a veteran Long Island cop's car early Sunday, killing the 45-year-old officer in a fiery crash, cops said.
Suffolk County Officer Glen Ciano was on duty and en route to help his partner when he died - leaving cops and advocates asking how the reckless motorist still had a license.
Jose Borbon of Plainview plowed his 2007 Dodge Magnum into the squad car at Vanderbilt Motor Parkway and Commack Road in Commack about 4:15 a.m., police said.
Borbon, who was not injured, stayed at the scene and was charged with DWI - his second DWI rap in less than two months.
"Somebody with a DWI under their belt clearly doesn't belong on our streets," said Wiley Norvell, spokesman for Transportation Alternatives.
"It's clear that when people drive drunk they give up their privilege to drive, and we should have the guts to enforce it."
Ciano, a father of two who lived in Bayport, was making a left-hand turn when his car was struck, sending it spinning into a utility pole. The car caught fire and quickly exploded, witnesses and cops said.
Borbon was busted in Nassau County on Jan. 4 on charges of drunken driving, holding more than one license, criminal possession of a gun and various moving violations, court documents show.
He still held a conditional license that allowed him to drive to specific locations set by the state's drunken driver rehab program.
Borbon's license had also been suspended in 2007 after he was involved in four crashes in one year, records show. It was reinstated two months later.
Chief Dominic Varrone of the Suffolk County police said Ciano was a highly regarded veteran with 22 years on the force.
A steady stream of mourners and well-wishers brought flowers to the scene of the crash, and flags hung at half-staff at the 2nd Precinct stationhouse in Huntington as officers mourned the loss of one of their own.
Ciano's neighbors described him as a devoted husband and father who went out of his way to help friends repair cars, fix lawn mowers - and even hang holiday lights.
"He always helped," said neighbor Ina Scotto, 69. "He was a very good man. He was a very good father."
Witnesses heard the crash from the McDonald's across the street.
"There was an explosion, and I saw a lot of fire," said Daisy Ramirez, 37. "I went outside and saw a mangled wreck of steel and rubber."
The flames erupted so rapidly there was no chance of rescuing Ciano from the car, cops said.
According to Borbon's MySpace page, he is a father of twins and has a young wife.
Next-door neighbors on Borbon's block say he comes from a good family and that he liked to work on his car in the driveway of the home where he lived with his parents. He was often seen on weekends washing and waxing the Dodge Magnum without a shirt, neighbors said.
Borbon's family was huddled Sunday in their tidy home, but his mother said they would not comment until they had spoken to a lawyer.
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