Monroe

A New York City police officer has been charged with DWI following a one-car accident on Forest Road near the intersection of Franklin Avenue in the early morning hours of June 14.

Monroe Village Det. James Frankild said when that when officers arrived at 3:33 a.m., they found a 21-year-old passenger inside the 1991 Toyota SRV conscious and alert.

However, the driver, 24-year-old Martin Polignone of Monroe, was unconscious, suffering from head injuries. He had to be removed from his vehicle by Monroe firefighters and EMS first-responders.

Polignone’s passenger was taken to the Arden Hill campus of Orange Regional Medical Center in Goshen for observation and later released.

Polignone, who remained unconscious at the scene, was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center.

Police said his blood alcohol content was .14 percent; the legal limit is .08 percent. He remains hospitalized and will be formally charged with DWI OR DUI - driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, when he is released.

Frankild said the department’s accident reconstructionists have determined that speed and alcohol played a role in this accident. He also said that the incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Unit.



Polignone has been a New York City cop for 11 months.