STEROIDS TEST FOR COP
Officer in fatal car crash filled prescriptions from discredited doc

Monday, February 28, 2011
By AMY BRITTAIN
and MARK MUELLER
THE STAR-LEDGER

The police officer involved in a seven-car crash that killed an elderly woman in Bayonne just over a week ago was among hundreds of law enforcement officers and firefighters who filled prescriptions for anabolic steroids with the aid of an unscrupulous Jersey City doctor.

Rick Garrison, 38, a 16-year veteran of the Jersey City Police Department, filled prescriptions for testosterone and HCG, a testosterone-boosting hormone, through a Brooklyn pharmacy in 2007, the pharmacy's records show.

Garrison was one of at least 248 officers and firefighters to obtain the substances through now-deceased physician Joseph Colao, who frequently faked diagnoses and prescribed the drugs when they were not medically necessary.

The illegal drug operation was the subject of a three-part Star-Ledger series in December.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, whose office is leading the accident investigation, told The Star-Ledger the officer will be tested for illicit and prescription drugs, including anabolic steroids. Post-accident toxicology tests typically do not include a panel for steroids, which in some cases can cause irrational behavior, aggression, recklessness and confusion.

DeFazio said investigators also will seek Garrison's medical records.

Garrison, the first vice president of the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association, allegedly sped through a 25 mph zone at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20, striking multiple moving and parked cars along Avenue E before crashing into the rear of an SUV and killing lifelong Bayonne resident Helen Antczak, 82.

Garrison, who was off-duty at the time of the crash, was issued seven motor vehicle summonses Thursday, including tickets for careless driving, failing to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident and failing to observe a traffic signal, DeFazio confirmed.

So what we know of this (so far un-suspended) "hero cop" (and the first vice president of the Jersey City PBA) so far is that he:

1. Took illegal drugs.
2. Was involved in the "hidden key caper".
3. Was involved in a fight with a Sheriff Officer.

I just want to have my facts straight the next time the JC PBA calls asking for a donation.

I say roid rage is possibility.

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This is the full star ledger piece (more then the JJ piece)

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011 ... y_cop_in_fatal_crash.html

(PS- check out his arms in that picture..yeah right he didn?t do roids! Hey Cheif C couldn't you tell?)

?Lt. Edgar Martinez, a Jersey City police spokesman, said Garrison is out on sick leave and has not been suspended.
"He?s not charged with anything," Martinez said. "He just had a motor vehicle accident. The media are trying him without the investigation being completed. He?s a private citizen, and he should be treated like everyone else." "


Thank you Lt. Martinez so what you are saying is the good citizens of JC will not foot the bill for the massive lawsuits that will be coming down the road. But I am a little confused wasn't he a ?private citizen? (of Jamesburg) when he and 3 of his buddies beat the sheriff?s officer? That hit "us" (of JC) in the pockets to the tune of 175K.


He?s a private citizen, and he should be treated like everyone else." No interview, 7 tickets a week after the accident...Duh? When I was in an accident I got a ticket on the spot!!! And grilled!!

Steroid abuser and now he claims he can't remember anything. What a POS!! Put him away!!

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... cop_involved_in_fa_1.html

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ersey_city_cop_issue.html

Seven tickets? What about Vehicular Manslaughter? This accident obviously involved Gross Negligence. I am guessing they are trying to protect this clown's pension as a felony conviction would mean forfeiting all of it. Obviously they ruled out a medical condition as they let him stroll out of the hospital within 48 hours.

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Triple Wow ....

Garrison was also among a number of off-duty officers who were sued in connection with an alleged assault on Hudson County Sheriff's Officer Sean McGovern outside a bar near Lincoln Park in November 1997.

Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said yesterday the city paid out $175,000 to settle the lawsuit.

Then-County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy told The Jersey Journal at the time that McGovern suffered a broken and bitten nose, a concussion and other injuries during a fight with Garrison outside the bar.

Wow?.

In December, Officer Rick Garrison was one of the officers involved in hiding the car keys of persons attending a fund-raiser for Mayor Jerramiah Healy during a police union protest, sources said.

The keys were snatched from the valet booth and tossed into bushes nearby. After a department hearing, the officers lost personal days as punishment for their actions, according to a Police Department spokesman.

Double Wow?

The prosecutor said his office will also look into Garrison's medical records to see if some illness may have caused the crash.

(but they let him drive around in a cop car????)

From NJ.com:
LINK TO ARTICLE

The off-duty Jersey City police officer involved in a fatal crash in Bayonne Sunday was disciplined by the department less than two months ago; and he was recently saluted for his valor as well.

In December, Officer Rick Garrison was one of the officers involved in hiding the car keys of persons attending a fund-raiser for Mayor Jerramiah Healy during a police union protest, sources said.

The keys were snatched from the valet booth and tossed into bushes nearby. After a department hearing, the officers lost personal days as punishment for their actions, according to a Police Department spokesman.

A veteran cop who is first vice president of the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association, Garrison was also among a number of off-duty officers who were sued in connection with an alleged assault on Hudson County Sheriff's Officer Sean McGovern outside a bar near Lincoln Park in November 1997.

Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said yesterday the city paid out $175,000 to settle the lawsuit.

Then-County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy told The Jersey Journal at the time that McGovern suffered a broken and bitten nose, a concussion and other injuries during a fight with Garrison outside the bar.

Last year, Garrison was among 16 officers honored at the 200 Club of Hudson County's annual Valor Awards for their roles in the July 16, 2009 shootout with robbery suspects on Reed Street in which Officer Marc DiNardo was fatally shot and four other officers wounded.

On Sunday afternoon, Garrison was behind the wheel of a car that was speeding on Avenue E when it slammed into several parked and moving vehicles over the course of several blocks, officials said.

The seven-car crash claimed the life of Helen Antczak, 82, of Washington Parkway in Bayonne, and sent five others to the hospital, officials said.

Garrison was taken to University Hospital in Newark and he was released yesterday, a hospital spokeswoman said. He did not return phone calls to comment.

He has not been charged criminally, administratively or issued any motor vehicle summonses. He has not been suspended by the Jersey City Police Department and he remains off-duty due to his injuries, police officials said yesterday.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said yesterday he expects the investigation into the crash to be completed in a few days.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, but the results of a drug screening on Garrison are not yet available, DeFazio said. The prosecutor said his office will also look into Garrison's medical records to see if some illness may have caused the crash.

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Right ?but the Camden guy was charged already...no internal investigation! Of course if a cop is involved in an accident his occupation is going to be mentioned so charges can be stalled until an internal investigation takes place. Who do you think let it out that a cop was involved? Duh?



Camden man driving without license is charged in fatal 4-car crash

Published: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 10:05 AM
Updated: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 10:05 AM
By The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk

EDGEWATER PARK ? A 48-year-old Camden man who had been driving without a license since 1990 was charged with causing the death of a passenger in a collision Monday that killed one and injured 11, according to a report on CourierPostOnline.com.

Floyd M. Jones was charged with causing a death while driving with a suspended license after his passenger Josette Beatty, 57, of Willingboro was killed when the SUV flipped over in a four-car accident after it struck a car from behind, the report said. A 13-year-old girl who was riding with Jones remains in critical condition.

Quote:

Birds of a feather...

Yep.

Before you know it, they will claim it was an allergic reaction to some cold medication....

Mark my words.

There was a fatal four car crash in Camden today and the article says nothing about the drivers employment status. Your hatred of the Police is comical. Now pay me bitch.

If this were you or me we would be doing the perp-walk everyday for the cameras. They are bending over backwards trying to give this guy time to "get your story straight".




http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index ... 98445918284730.xml&coll=3

Pardon my ignorance on the subject but will taxpayers be expected to foot the bill for his defense since he is on the police force?

Also, deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of this poor, innocent woman. Such a tragic, senseless loss.

The Channel 7 Eyewitness News truck was on site there this afternoon...along with a lot of officials taking measurements of the accident scene.

If you can get over 30MPH on this stretch of road, you're having a very lucky day. It's unimaginable how much destruction this accident caused. It will be interesting to see the results of the investigation.

A-hole wins this years 'Kevin Freibott Award'.

And yet the JCPD continues to expect respect.

Wow scary stuff?


Bayonne woman says off-duty cop's vehicle grazed her car before plowing into SUV that was carrying woman who died

Published: Monday, February 21, 2011, 8:51 PM
Updated: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 5:45 AM

She had just gotten her hair done and was driving home yesterday, and when she stopped at a red light on Avenue E at 45th Street, she saw a black car bearing down in her rearview mirror.

In a reflexive move that possibly spared her serious injury, the 28-year-old Bayonne woman shifted her vehicle to the left, into the lane of oncoming traffic.

The black car, which was veering right, grazed her passenger-side rear bumper, blew the red light, and kept on going.




full jj piece...



http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... man_says_off-duty_co.html

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BTW.. I guess he will be mailed tickets for speeding, driving through a red light, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident right?

Quote:

is there any journalistic reason why "elderly" would be in quotes? they did that in the print version, too. at 82 years old, I believe the victim was, indeed, elderly.

As if there was any doubt.


An off-duty Jersey City police officer was speeding when his car smashed into several vehicles during a 7-car crash that claimed the life of an 82-year-old Bayonne woman Sunday afternoon on Avenue E in Bayonne, officials said today.


"There was apparently excessive speed involved" in the crash in which the car driven by the off-duty officer struck a number of parked and moving vehicles over the course of several blocks around 12:30 p.m., Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.


Several sources identified the police officer as Rick Garrison, a veteran of the department who serves as the first vice president of the Jersey City Police Officers' Benevolent Association.


The crash claimed the life of Helen Antczak of Washington Parkway after the police officer's car plowed into the rear of the SUV in which Antczak was a passenger and her daughter was behind the wheel, officials said.


According to the autopsy performed at the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark, Antczak died of blunt force trauma to her body, DeFazio said. She was a homemaker and was predeceased by her husband Casmir in 1996.

After the crash Garrison was taken to University Hospital in Newark and he was listed in stable condition there yesterday evening, a hospital spokeswoman said.


Bayonne police have not yet released the accident report and a city spokesman said today he had no new information.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, based on tests done on a blood sample taken from the officer, DeFazio said. The blood sample will be screened for drugs -- prescription and illicit -- but those results will take longer, the prosecutor said.


The crash investigation by the Bayonne Police Department is ongoing, DeFazio said, adding that his office and the Jersey City Police Department Internal Affairs Unit are also looking into it. The prosecutor said no criminal, administrative or motor vehicle charges have been filed in connection to the crash.



Journal file photoA horrific multi-car crash Sunday in Bayonne left an 82-year-old woman dead and several others injured, officials said.

"They're still looking for answers and, once we get those definitive answers, the appropriate measures will be taken," Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey said yesterday in a statement, in which he also offered is condolences to the Antczak family.

A young man who identified himself as Antczak's grandson answered the front door at her home this afternoon but he was too grief stricken to speak about her. He said his parents were out making arrangements for the funeral. A neighbor said Antczak lived on the block for years and was "a lovely person."


At least six people involved in the crash, including Garrsion, were initially taken to Bayonne Medical Center, where Antczak was pronounced dead.


Viewings for Antczak will be tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Bayonne Memorial on Avenue C. Her funeral Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, followed by burial at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.

Journal staff writer Vishal Persaud contributed to this story.

Related stories:
Bayonne 7-car crash kills woman, injures off-duty Jersey City cop and others

Jersey City off-duty cop involved in today's crash in Bayonne that caused woman's death, official confirms

Woman confirmed dead as a result of Bayonne crash; five others injured


Car wrapped around pole; at least three other vehicles involved in Bayonne crash

DRUGS !

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http://www.nj.com/bayonne/index.ssf/2 ... les_involved_in_bayo.html

above is the link to the first JJ piece on the crash..check the entire comment out from SusieDiamond who says she lives across the street. This is some of it?

?Awhile later, I spoke with 2 witnesses. This whole thing started way uptown. Two cars were stopped at the red light on 40 Street and one woman looked in her rear view and saw a car speeding towards them. She moved into the oncoming lane of traffic because she thought it was an unmarked police vehicle. I assume the other woman followed. They were both side-swiped. They BOTH told me the car had to being doing about 90 mph.?

I got stuck behind a minor and brief jam on Monmouth St. the other day as a People-Mover bus was negotiating the driveway of the Hamilton Park Rehabilitaion Center. The driver of the car in front of me was being impatient and giving grief to a man who was helping patients out of another People-Mover parked in the driveway already. The man yelled back to the driver to "keep your mouth shut and move along". The driver did move along and it was then that I noticed he was an off-duty cop. What kind of ingrate yells at people who are helping the elderly and other rehab patients? And I have often seen these clowns blowing through Stop-signs and speeding. I even had one flash me the "bird' when I yelled at him for running a Stop-sign.

Jersey City off-duty cop involved in today's crash in Bayonne that caused woman's death, official confirms

Published: Sunday, February 20, 2011, 8:10 PM
Updated: Monday, February 21, 2011, 9:39 AM

An off-duty Jersey City police officer was one of the persons injured in today's car crash in Bayonne that took the life of an "elderly" woman, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio confirmed tonight.

The cop's role in the incident is still being determined, said DeFazio, adding the crash is being investigated by the Bayonne Police Department and Jersey City Police Department Internal Affairs and his office were notified.

The seven-vehicle wreck occurred at about 12:30 p.m. at Avenue E and East 36th Street.

Alcohol was not a factor in the incident, DeFazio said, noting that no one was arrested and no summonses were issued.

A total of six persons, including the dead woman, were taken to the Bayonne Medical Center. One of the injured persons was subsequently moved to University Hospital in Newark, a Bayonne Medical Center spokesman said.

The cause and manner of the woman's death will be determined by an autopsy expected to be completed tomorrow, said DeFazio, who declined to identify the woman.

full jj piece

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Strange story especially if you read some of the JJ comments from people who said they were at the scene.

Prayers to all involved.