Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the indictment of PAUL ZANGRILLI, 44, a New York City Police Department Deputy Inspector, for covering up a drunk driving incident in 2022. ZANGRILLI allegedly allowed a person he was dating, NIKOLE RUPPLE, 35, to drive his unmarked NYPD-issued vehicle after they had both been drinking for several hours. With ZANGRILLI in the passenger seat, RUPPLE hit a livery cab vehicle and fled the scene. ZANGRILLI, who later drove the same department vehicle while intoxicated, allegedly lied about the incident and attempted to erase key video evidence.
ZANGRILLI is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence; two counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree; two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree; one count of Obstructing Governmental Administration in the Second Degree; two counts of Official Misconduct; one count of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated; and one count of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Impaired by Alcohol. RUPPLE is charged with one count of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated and one count of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, With Personal Injury. [1]
“This alleged behavior was incredibly dangerous, leading to injuries for one cab driver and putting the safety of many other drivers and pedestrians at risk. Furthermore, this NYPD Deputy Inspector, then a Commanding Officer, allegedly went to great lengths to cover up the incident to avoid responsibility,” said District Attorney Bragg. “We will continue to hold public servants accountable when they violate the public trust.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record, on August 16, 2022, at approximately 5:40 p.m. ZANGRILLI – who at the time was the Commanding Officer of the NYPD’s 5th Precinct – drove to the bar American Whiskey near Penn Station with RUPPLE.
The defendants drank at the bar where, in approximately three hours, ZANGRILLI consumed five shots and seven beers and RUPPLE consumed seven shots and three beers.
When they left together at approximately 8:40 p.m., RUPPLE drove the NYPD-issued vehicle northbound on 10th Avenue with ZANGRILLI in the front passenger seat.
A few minutes later, RUPPLE crashed the car into the back of a livery cab at the intersection of West 30th Street and 10th Avenue, injuring the cab driver’s back and neck, and damaging the back of his car. RUPPLE then sped away, before pulling over a few blocks later and switching seats with ZANGRILLI. ZANGRILLI continued to drive the vehicle northbound on 10th Avenue.
The cab driver eventually stopped at the same red light as the defendants on West 33rd Street and 10th Avenue and called for help from a uniformed officer in a marked police vehicle. When the light turned green, ZANGRILLI started to drive away while the cab driver followed. The uniformed officer pulled the defendant’s car over, with the victim still following.
The uniformed officer instructed the victim, who told her that the defendants were intoxicated and had fled the scene of the vehicle collision, to submit an accident report at a police precinct. ZANGRILLI repeatedly offered $500 and $1,000 to the victim instead of exchanging insurance information both in the uniformed officer’s presence and after she left.
The victim then called 911 to request someone take a report. At the same time, ZANGRILLI called a Duty Captain to arrive at the scene. ZANGRILLI falsely informed the Captain that he had been driving to work at the time of the collision and safely pulled over as soon as possible. He did not mention that RUPPLE – who at this point was lingering away from the scene out of sight – had been in the vehicle, nor that either of them had been drinking.
The Captain informed an NYPD Inspector about the incident and, relying on the false information provided by ZANGRILLI, instructed a Sergeant to complete the required department-vehicle collision paperwork.
Later, ZANGRILLI drove to the 5th Precinct with RUPPLE. ZANGRILLI signed in for duty at the 5th precinct and then called the owner of American Whiskey asking him to delete the security cameras’ surveillance video from that night. The video technician who operated the security system did so the next morning.
The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau (“IAB”) was notified of the situation that same evening. At approximately 10:50 p.m., ZANGRILLI falsely told an Inspector that he had gone to his Rockland County home. When IAB arrived at his home at approximately midnight to conduct a “Fitness for Duty” observation to determine if he was intoxicated, he was not there. ZANGRILLI was eventually found at RUPPLE’s apartment.
Several days later, IAB executed a search warrant for American Whiskey’s video surveillance system. IAB and the D.A.’s Office were eventually able to recover and extract the video surveillance footage from the day of the incident.
D.A. Bragg thanked IAB for its assistance.
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