A former NYPD officer sworn to enforce traffic laws is now accused of breaking nearly all of them in a single night, then trying to hide it. Jatinderpal Singh was indicted this week on 14 counts stemming from a hit-and-run crash in South Ozone Park that left a 22-year-old woman with catastrophic injuries, including the loss of her spleen.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the indictment on Wednesday, detailing charges that include second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of tampering with physical evidence, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, fifth-degree conspiracy, official misconduct, second-degree obstructing governmental administration, and a string of traffic violations including reckless driving and failing to stop at a stop sign, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office. As Newsday reports, Singh, a former officer from Valley Stream, allegedly struck a woman crossing the street near Rockaway Boulevard and 122nd Place while driving a friend's black Cadillac Escalade at a high rate of speed.
Prosecutors say the crash happened at approximately 2:03 a.m. on March 14, 2026. The woman was knocked unconscious and suffered internal injuries; she later lost her spleen and had pins placed in her legs, per the district attorney's account. Singh allegedly fled the scene without rendering aid.
An Alleged Cover-Up Spanning Two Counties
What happened after the crash is central to the case. Newsday's report states that Singh told a passenger to delete phone photos showing him driving the SUV and allegedly instructed another passenger to lie to police and refuse to cooperate with investigators.
The following day, March 15, 2026, prosecutors say Singh directed another SUV passenger to transport the damaged Escalade to a body shop in Centereach, Long Island, for repairs — an act that Queens prosecutors say formed the basis of the evidence-tampering charges. Singh also failed to report the crash to his NYPD superiors, a violation of standard department protocol that requires officers to immediately notify their command of any off-duty involvement in a motor vehicle collision, according to NYPD Patrol Guide rules cited in the case.
Katz was blunt in her assessment of the officer's conduct. Singh was sworn to uphold the law but showed “complete disregard for the rules of the road” before fleeing, failing to render aid, and attempting to cover up his actions, the district attorney said in her Wednesday statement.
From Manhattan Beat to Resignation
At the time of the crash, Singh was an active off-duty police officer assigned to Manhattan. He resigned from the NYPD roughly two months later, in May 2026, according to Newsday's reporting.
Singh was arraigned on the 14-count indictment before Queens Supreme Court Judge Peter Vallone, who set bail at $500,000 cash, $1 million secured bond, or $2 million partially secured bond. Vallone ordered Singh to return to court on September 24. Per his defense attorney, Kenneth B. Russo, Singh was expected to post bail Thursday; Russo declined to comment further on the case.
If convicted of the most serious charge, Singh faces up to seven years in prison. Separately, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting when a victim suffers serious physical injury is classified under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 600(2) as a Class E felony, carrying a maximum penalty of up to four years, according to the New York State Senate.
A Citywide Pattern of Unpunished Hit-and-Runs
The case lands amid broader concern over how rarely injury hit-and-run drivers face consequences in New York City. Citywide, the NYPD's arrest rate for hit-and-run incidents involving personal injuries fell to 3.6% in 2023, down from 8.6% in 2018, even as citywide hit-and-run collisions averaged roughly 46,000 annually, per data compiled by AEE Law.
New York City recorded 111 pedestrian deaths in 2025, down 9% from 122 the year before, though serious pedestrian injuries continued to climb across the five boroughs, according to Brett Nomberg Law. Severe and fatal pedestrian collisions in the city disproportionately occur late at night and in the early morning hours, when speeds rise and visibility drops — a pattern consistent with the 2:03 a.m. timing of the South Ozone Park crash, per crash data cited by Greenspan Law.
Whether any of the passengers who allegedly helped Singh cover up the crash will face their own charges or become prosecution witnesses remains unclear. It is also not yet known whether Singh will post bail ahead of his September 24 court date, as his attorney indicated was expected.
