Staten Islanders Describe Alarming Encounters with Super-Speeding Cop James Giovansanti - Streetsblog New York City

"“I was like, holy shit, this truck could hit me at any second,” one Staten Islander said of their run-in with Giovansanti and his two-ton RAM 1500. The cop “nearly hit me when I had the right of way to cross,” said another. Borough residents said they directly witnessed Giovansanti use his pickup truck to speed, tailgate, cut off other drivers, blow red lights and menace pedestrians. Their testimonies lend additional weight to Giovansanti's titanic speeding record and intensify pressure on the NYPD to intervene before their own officer kills or injures someone."

"“Have you seen how he actually drives?” wrote @Mrbatz26 on the Staten Island subreddit. “Total jerkoff cutting people off left and right and tailgating like a mother fucker can't forget that jerkoff face.” “I've seen this guy haul ass on Richmond Terrace blowing lights,” another Reddit user, @ToughCelebration3705, added on the same thread."

"“Haul ass” is a colorful idiom that means to move very quickly - that is, to break the speed limit. “Blowing lights” means disobeying red traffic lights, an act that immediately places nearby drivers and pedestrians in mortal danger. Neither @Mrbatz26 nor @ToughCelebration3705 responded to multiple requests for comment. But Streetsblog found two other Staten Islanders who were willing to speak with us on the condition of anonymity."

An NYPD officer, James Giovansanti, has accumulated 547 speeding and red-light tickets since early 2022 and has a reputation for deadly driving. Staten Island residents report witnessing him speed, tailgate, cut off other drivers, run red lights, and menace pedestrians. Multiple people describe near-collisions, including incidents where he nearly hit them while they had the right of way to cross. Residents shared accounts on social media, using language that describes aggressive driving and disobeying red lights. Additional interviews with anonymous residents describe encounters as both a pedestrian and a driver earlier in the year. These reports increase pressure for NYPD intervention to prevent serious injury or death.

Read at Streetsblog New York City