A former NYPD detective charged with fatally shooting another driver on the New York side of the George Washington Bridge on the evening of Tuesday, the 20th, was released Friday, the 23rd, after posting $1 million bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, the 27th.
According to Gothamist, Victor Romero, 62, a former NYPD detective charged with fatally shooting another driver on the New York side of the George Washington Bridge on the evening of Tuesday, the 20th, was released Friday, the 23rd, after posting $1 million bail. Romero, who lives in Haverstraw, is listed in city Department of Correction records as having posted bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, the 27th.
The victim was Koran Irvine, 46, of Valley Cottage in Rockland County, a Con Edison (ConEd) employee. Authorities described the case as "road rage." Romero was initially charged with murder, but prosecutors later reduced the charge to manslaughter.
At the arraignment, prosecutors cited surveillance video. They said that on the evening of the 20th, after the two vehicles nearly collided on the bridge approach, Romero aggressively followed Irvine's vehicle, and a few minutes later fired from the driver's seat toward Irvine's vehicle, killing him. Prosecutors said Romero kept driving toward New Jersey after the shooting.
Romero was arrested at his workplace in Manhattan on Wednesday, the 21st. According to prosecutors, police seized three firearms from Romero. He served seven years with the NYPD and retired in 2001.
The George Washington Bridge connects Fort Lee and Manhattan and is a route heavily used by drivers traveling between Bergen County and Manhattan. The incident took place on the bridge's approach on the New York side. As of the morning of the 25th, when the original report was published, no changes to bridge traffic or enforcement related to the case had been reported.