Last week, two Bronx police officers were following a 2020 Honda CR-V that was reported stolen. They pursued the vehicle with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Shortly after the two officers gave chase, the vehicle crashed. Officers are mandated to report an accident and call for medical assistance to safely apprehend the driver.

Except they didn’t. Instead, witnesses say the officers reportedly disengaged and drove away. Turned off the vehicle’s lights and siren, and simply drove away. The crash was severe enough to cause a fire, and the driver inside didn’t make it out of the vehicle.

The officer left the area and allegedly failed to report the accident to superiors. Retired NYPD chief of detectives Robert Boyce reacted with shock to the accusation.

“The most troubling thing here is it’s not rendering aid to a vehicle that gets into a crash like that,” he told WABC. “The ethics thing here… is it’s actually a moral failure. You have to stop no matter what happens.”

Former NY police chief says the cops failed the driver

Terry Monahan, a former NYPD police chief, said an officer’s job as a sworn-in public servant is to put their feelings aside and help those in need. Despite driving a stolen vehicle, the driver still needed their help.

“It is the ultimate responsibility of a police officer to protect life,” he said. “It’s a very serious incident. You’re supposed to call it in, you call for assistance, you call EMS, and you stay on the scene.”

Authorities are still investigating the officers and the crash as of April 10. The department is recovering security camera footage to help speed up the investigation.

“That incident is currently under review by our Force Investigation Division and the Attorney General’s office,” read the NYPD’s official statement. “The two officers who were involved in that incident have been suspended pending review of the incident.”

The PBA says the officers were responding to more important issues

The Police Benevolent Association released a statement claiming the officers were “addressing chronic crime conditions” at the time of the crash, and is saying judgment needs to be reserved.

“These police officers were on patrol, attempting to address chronic crime conditions in their precinct,” the association’s president wrote. “This incident is under investigation, and that investigation must be completed without any rush to judgment.”