MELVILLE, N.Y. _ Michael Colangelo, the NYPD canine officer killed in a car crash just after getting married in upstate New York this weekend, was driving the rented 2018 Maserati that veered off the road, hit a tree and flipped over, the State Police said Wednesday.
The other NYPD officer who died in the Ultster County crash, Detective John M. Martinez, of Hauppauge, was sitting in the front passenger seat when the crash occurred shortly after Colangelo's wedding reception at the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, the State Police said.
Investigators said they originally believed the 39-year-old Martinez, a detective assigned to the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn, was the driver.
"The initial information indicating Martinez was the driver was partially based off witnesses who observed Martinez behind the wheel as the vehicle left the resort the night of May 20, 2018. Further investigation revealed that Martinez and Colangelo switched positions at some point during the trip," the State Police said in a statement released Wednesday.
Investigators said the Maserati was traveling at a high rate of speed when it veered off Oliverea Road. The speed limit on the road is 40 mph. The State Police said the investigation is continuing pending accident reconstruction and toxicology results.
Colangelo, 31, and Martinez were not wearing seat belts when the crash occurred, police said.
A third man in the Maserati, Cody Kalina, of Wantagh, was wearing a seat belt and survived the crash. Kalina was transported to Albany Medical Center after the accident and released Tuesday.
Investigators questioned Kalina, 28, Tuesday about the accident, but Kalina's statements _ and those of other wedding guests interviewed by police _ have not been released.
Investigators are still scouring the crash site in the Town of Shandaken, about a mile from the resort. Colangelo, of Huntington Station, and his bride had their wedding reception Sunday at the Full Moon Resort and many of the guests were staying there, according to police and the resort's website.
Colangelo and Martinez had worked together in the NYPD Special Operations Division, which includes the Emergency Service Unit.
Colangelo was one of 12 handlers to graduate earlier this year from the Emergency Service Unit canine team. The officers and their dogs handle evidence searches, explosives detection and missing persons cases, according to the NYPD.
