Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Drunk Driving Off-Duty Cop Who Killed Williamsburg Pedestrian Fired, Fellow Boozers Stripped Of Guns & Badges
By
David Colon
Published Jul 20, 2016
Modified Jul 20, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
David Torres
By
David Colon
Published Jul 20, 2016
Modified Jul 20, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Days after being charged with manslaughter and a DWI after crashing his SUV onto a Williamsburg sidewalk, killing one and seriously injuring three pedestrians, Nicholas Batka will be fired from the NYPD, Commissioner Bill Bratton announced today. In addition, officers who drank with Batka that night are being stripped of their guns and badges.
Officers Jeremy Rodriguez and Emmanuel Collado will be stripped of their guns and badges, "for the good of the department" a source told WPIX. This isn't Collado's only legal problem, as he's one of ten officers named in a lawsuit by activist Christina Gonzalez accusing police of arresting her for filming them at protests. According to the New York Post, Batka is able to be fired so quickly because he's still in his probationary hiring period, and therefore isn't eligible for a departmental trial.
At least one of Batka's friends was willing to try to spin things in a good light for Batka, with his friend Justin Alton telling the Post that Batka is a "great guy," that the DUI was an accident and that he's dealing with personal stress related to the death of his older brother.
Batka killed MIT scholarship student Andrew Esquivel, 21, who was living in New York for the summer for an internship. Another MIT student, Sophia Tabchouri, was injured, as was former student James Balchunas. The third injured pedestrian, Divya Menezes, is unaffiliated with the university.
After killing Esquivel with his car, witnesses say Batka tried to flee the scene, but was prevented by good Samaritans who pushed his door closed. He then allegedly moved over to the passenger side in an attempt to pretend he wasn't driving.
The drunken cop car crash is reminiscent of the 2001 scandal involving officer Joseph Gray, who drunkenly killed four people (including an unborn child) as they crossed a street in Sunset Park. It later emerged that Gray was drinking with other officers in a topless bar and a parking lot before running over the pedestrians. Two officers were later dismissed during the fallout, and Gray was imprisoned for ten years after being convicted of manslaughter.
Tagged
dwi
nicholas batka
off duty cop
williamsburg
David Colon
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 11:37 a.m. ET
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .