Former NYPD officer pleads guilty to causing fatal crash while driving drunk, impersonating cop

A former NYPD officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing a Lindenhurst man riding with him last winter in what authorities have called a drunken joyride at speeds over 100 mph in Valley Stream.

Aaron Cooper, 26, who had been fired in January 2023 from the city police department for pulling his gun during a road rage incident, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter for the death of Pablo Rivera, 22, as well as charges of drunken driving and criminal impersonation in the second degree.

Cooper, a Marine Reservist, was showing off his new sports car when he lost control of his 2023 Toyota Supra around 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 10, while rocketing eastbound down the westbound lanes of Rosedale Road, crossing the double yellow lines, smashing into a utility pole and a tree before flipping the car onto a lawn on the street, according to authorities.

Rivera died at the scene, authorities said.

The Supra’s data recorder clocked Cooper’s speed at 109 mph seconds before impact, prosecutors said.

He told responding Nassau County police officers that he had come upon the crash and was trying to help Rivera, prosecutors said. He also told police that he was still a cop, though he had been fired.

"This defendant twice tried to deny his involvement to authorities, saying first that he stopped to help after witnessing the crash, and later, that he was in the car but was not driving," Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. "And while he was terminated from the NYPD in 2023, Cooper, in the aftermath, tried to pass himself off as an active service member to curry favor."

First responders took Cooper, also of Lindenhurst, to the Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital for broken ribs. A blood test revealed his blood alcohol content to be. 16%, twice the legal limit for intoxication, one hour after the crash.

He faces four to nine years under a plea bargain deal, though prosecutors asked for seven to 12 years behind bars, Donnelly said.

"Mr. Cooper is deeply remorseful for the loss suffered by Pablo Rivera’s family and understands the profound impact of his actions. Aaron is committed to facing the legal consequences, but it’s also important to remember that he is more than the worst decision he made on a night clouded by recklessness," defense lawyer Richard Hochhauser said.

Cooper is due back in court for his sentencing on Jan. 6, 2025.