Seaford congregation mourns cop's death

The community at a Seaford church where Michael J. Califano was a dedicated member and a beloved figure Sunday mourned the sudden death of the Nassau police officer.

That sense of loss was shared in Califano's Wantagh neighborhood and the Nassau Police Department's Highway Patrol Bureau, where others who knew the 44-year-old said they, too, were devastated by the news.

Sunday, during the 9 a.m. Mass at Maria Regina Roman Catholic Church, Deacon Paul Neuhedel briefly asked the congregation for a moment of silence to remember Califano. Califano, a 12-year-veteran, was killed early Saturday when, police said, a trucker asleep at the wheel slammed into his patrol car during a traffic stop.

After Mass, Neuhedel said Califano had many friends in the church, from parents involved in the Catholic Youth Organization to the building's workers.

"People were talking about how he was the picture of a dedicated family man," Neuhedel said. "It's a tragic accident."

Police kept a patrol car Sunday outside the Wantagh home where Califano lived with his wife, Jackie, and children Michael, 13, Christopher, 11, and Andrew, 6. A few houses down, neighbor Armida DeFalco remembered an earlier tragedy that befell the family - the 2003 death of their infant daughter, Michaela, due to a congenital disease.

DeFalco said Califano was frequently seen playing ball with his sons in a nearby park. She said she hopes Jackie Califano finds peace knowing her husband is "with their baby."

She continued: "Everyone knew him. There are no words."

Memorial purple-and-black bunting hung from the Nassau police building in Bellmore that contains the highway patrol bureau where Califano worked. The flag flew at half-staff, as did the flags outside all county buildings, per the order of County Executive Edward Mangano.

Officer John McDonnell, who worked with Califano, said Nassau police would have a presence at Califano's funeral.

"This is going to go on for weeks. This is not just a few days," said McDonnell, referring to the mourning period.

Sgt. Mike Costabile, another colleague, said the death of a police officer in the line of duty - the first in Nassau since 1993 - hits particularly hard.

"It's rare that we lose an officer in the line of duty. He was a colleague. It's a feeling of disbelief," Costabile said.A wake for Califano will be held at the Massapequa Funeral Home's South Chapel Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.