A jury has found a former New Jersey cop guilty of vehicular homicide for killing two of his passengers in a boozed-up wrong-way Staten Island wreck two years ago.
Pedro Abad, 29, spent the night drinking at the Curves “gentleman’s club” on Staten Island before he drove the wrong way on the West Shore Expressway and slammed head-on into a tractor trailer March 20, 2015.
On Thursday, after a two-week trial, a Staten Island jury found Abad guilty on nine counts against him — including aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault and manslaughter.
Authorities said Abad ignored four traffic signs after leaving Curves, and a gas station security camera captured his car turning the wrong way onto a service road.
His blood alcohol level measured at .24% — more than three times the legal limit.
The crash killed fellow Linden Police Officer Frank Viggiano, 28, and their pal Joseph Rodriguez, 28, and left a third passenger, former Linden cop Patrick Kudlac, 25, badly injured.
Abad, who sported a Batman backpack in the early days of the trial, would often speak with reporters outside the courthouse, but declined to testify in his own defense.
On Thursday, in an interview with NJ.com, he seemed to realize the case wouldn’t go his way.
When asked if he had spoken to the victim’s family, he said, “Some are here in court, and I do wish to speak to them. I don’t know if right now’s the time… but I at least want to say something before I go. “
Abad said he’d like to become a pastor in prison.
His lawyer, Mario Gallucci, said Abad realized he faced insurmountable evidence at trial.
“He knew. He just wanted an affirmation. He doesn’t remember,” Gallucci said.
Gallucci questioned the blood alcohol readings because his client needed several transfusions after the crash.
“Pedro jumped into an arena where the odds were overwhelmingly against him and we tried to put up a fight. But he’s at peace. He believes he should be punished, and he plans on acknowledging that at the time of sentence,” Gallucci said.
Judge Mario Mattei ordered Abad remanded without bail until his June 8 sentencing. He faces up to 25 years behind bars.