Veteran NYPD commander charged with drunk driving and covering up incident

A veteran NYPD precinct chief who was suspended following an accident involving a taxi driver in 2022 has been charged with multiple counts related to covering up an incident while under the influence of alcohol, prosecutors said Thursday.

Deputy Inspector Paul Zangrilli, commanding officer of the Fifth Precinct in Chinatown, faced a series of charges following the August 16, 2022 accident, including tampering with evidence and falsifying records.

Zangrilli, 44, and his girlfriend Nikole Rupple, 35, spent about three hours at the American Whiskey bar in Midtown Manhattan before getting into the NYPD inspector’s car and driving home, prosecutors said.

After Zangrilli drank five shots and Rupple drank seven shots and three beers, the 17-year NYPD veteran allowed his girlfriend to drive the car, they added.

When the duo reached the intersection of West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue – just a few blocks from the bar – Rupple crashed into a TLC taxi and fled the scene. A few blocks away, he then switched places with Zangrilli, who continued up the avenue, authorities said.

According to prosecutors, the taxi driver caught up with the couple at a red light on West 33rd Street and flagged down a uniformed officer, who stopped the NYPD vehicle.

The taxi driver suffered minor back and neck injuries in the accident and claimed that Zangrilli was drunk, but the officer investigating the accident sent the inspector on his way and told the TLC driver to file an accident report with an NYPD precinct.

Zangrilli allegedly offered the taxi driver $500 and then $1,000 both in front of the officer who reported the accident and after she drove away to avoid an insurance exchange.

The cop is accused of personally calling the owner of the bar where he was drinking and asking him to delete the surveillance video showing him and Rupple drinking. The footage was deleted, but during an investigation, the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau was able to recover the footage.

Zangrilli is accused of tampering with evidence, falsifying business documents, submitting forged documents for filing, obstructing public administration, abuse of office and driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Rupple is accused of driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident.

“This NYPD deputy inspector, then commanding officer, allegedly went to great lengths to cover up the incident and evade responsibility,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “We will continue to hold officers accountable when they abuse the public trust.”

Zangrilli became a police officer in 2005 and rose steadily through the ranks until he was promoted to deputy inspector in October 2021.

According to an NYPD spokesman, he remains suspended without pay.