Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Robert Waring and Stony Brook University Hospital Chief of the Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care Dr. James Vosswinkel held a press conference on January 27 at 11:30 a.m. to discuss the recovery and release of Suffolk County Police Officer Brendon Gallagher who, earlier this month, was critically injured during a motor vehicle crash.
Officer Gallagher, who is assigned to the department’s Street Takeover Task Force, was conducting a traffic stop on the Long Island Expressway on January 5 when the driver of a Ford Mustang sped past the officer. Officer Gallagher attempted to pull over the Ford when the driver, who was under the influence of drugs, lost control of the vehicle, sideswiping the police vehicle. Gallagher’s vehicle left the roadway and overturned, leaving him with critical injuries.
Miraculously, after 22 days in the hospital, Officer Gallagher is being released from the hospital to continue recovering at home. Members of the department were on-hand to support the officer and wish him well. This is the second time during his three-year career with SCPD that Officer Gallagher was seriously injured, as he was stabbed during a confrontation in 2022.