Cody B. Fisher was driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs when he seriously injured police officer Brendon Gallagher.
Fisher, 29, of Brentwood, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 5 years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to Assault on a Police Officer, and several other related charges, for driving impaired, speeding, failing to pull over, and then crashing into Suffolk County Officer Gallagher’s vehicle causing it to flip over.
District Attorney Ray Tierney said, “This case went beyond a reckless flight. The fact that this officer survived is nothing short of a miracle. Today’s sentence of a decade in state prison reflects the gravity of using a motor vehicle as an instrument of violence against those sworn to protect our community.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions in court, Officer Gallagher was conducting a traffic stop of another motorist on the Long Island Expressway between exit 58 and exit 57. Fisher, driving his 2021 Ford Mustang, sped by Officer Gallagher. Officer Gallagher left his traffic stop and attempted to pull the defendant over. Fisher fled from the officer, weaving in and out of lanes, reaching speeds up to 100 mph.
As Officer Gallagher pulled alongside the defendant’s car, Fisher hit the police vehicle, causing it to lose control, flip on its side, and smash into a tree on the side of the expressway. Officer Gallagher had to be extricated from the vehicle and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was treated for a torn aorta and abdominal injuries requiring surgery.
Following the crash, Fisher’s severely damaged vehicle traveled hundreds of feet on the side of the expressway before coming to a stop. When police arrived, they observed that Fisher had glassy, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet.