Force Investigation Division Lt. Vincent Molinini
NYPD lieutenant involved in cops' boozy Staten Island crash into hair salon has promotion yanked
By Graham Rayman — Saturday, March 19th, 2016 ‘The New York Daily News’
The NYPD has yanked the promotion of a police lieutenant involved in a car crash into a beauty salon on Staten Island last month, The Daily News has learned.
Lt. Vincent Molinini, 44, had been promoted to commanding officer of a detective unit in the NYPD’s high-profile Force Investigation Division — and was celebrating with co-workers on the night of the Feb. 26 crash.
They had just left Rookie’s Sports Bar after a night of drinking when one of his fellow off-duty cops crashed his vehicle into the salon on Arthur Ave. near Muldoon Ave. in Great Kills.
The cops drove off and waited more than threehours to report the incident, after making a series of calls to union officials, sources said.
The NYPD revoked Molinini’s commanding officer status on March 11, records show.
“The discretionary designation was revoked as a result of the internal investigation,” a police official said.
Louis Turco, the head of the Lieutenants Benevolent Association, the union which represent Molinini, declined to comment.
Molinini remains suspended. The NYPD has not filed administrative charges against him and the Internal Affairs Bureau is still investigating, officials said.
Under the rank of lieutenant, there are two special designations, which bring more pay.
Molinini, who made $176,157 last year, was already receiving special assignment pay — equivalent to a captain’s salary. The promotion to commanding officer of the detective squad would have gotten him more money.
He had started receiving the money the day of the crash but has now lost that bump in salary.
Two other detectives were also suspended — Detective Christopher Corulla, the driver of the vehicle that crashed, and Detective Frank Muirhead.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton created the Force Investigation Division, which is tasked with investigating all deaths in police custody citywide. He based it on a similar unit he formed when he was the police commissioner in Los Angeles.
Sources said Corulla slammed into the shop after sideswiping another car. He tried to drive away, video shows, but the car got snagged on debris, sources said. He rode off with one of the other cops.
Corulla later claimed that he had accidentally put the car into reverse, causing it to crash.
The crash caused about $80,000 worth of damageto their Hair Do or Dye Salon on Arthur Kill Road.
Last week, the salon owned, Crystal McNair, 31, told The News she has retained a lawyer and may file a lawsuit against the detectives to recover the money.
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