Family of New Jersey road rage victim sues NYPD, Mayor Eric Adams – NBC10 Philadelphia

The family of a paralyzed New Jersey man is suing the New York City police officer accused of shooting him in a violent road rage incident, as well as the city of New York, other members of the New York City Police Department and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

On Friday, May 17, 2024, police responded to a multi-vehicle accident at the intersection of Route 73 and Cooper Road in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. When they arrived, they found 30-year-old Kishan Patel of Voorhees suffering from a gunshot wound. Patel was taken to hospital for treatment.

After analyzing surveillance video, cellphone records and ballistics evidence, Voorhees Township police and the Camden County District Attorney's Office identified 27-year-old Hieu Tran of Yonkers, New York, as the suspect in the shooting. Police said Tran – a New York Police Department officer – used his department-issued firearm and shot Patel during an apparent road rage incident.

The family of the man shot by an off-duty NYPD police officer at a New Jersey intersection in May is suing Mayor Eric Adams, the city of New York and members of the NYPD, alleging the city was negligent in hiring the officer . Rana Novini of NBC New York reports.

“Kishan – while he was sitting in the car when he shot him – Kishan released his gas,” said Patel's mother, Manjina Patel. “He hit five oncoming cars! And that police officer just drove away.”

Investigators said Tran was off-duty at the time of the incident and had just left a wedding in the area. After the shooting, Tran “calmly drove north, stopped for gas, drove home to New York, reloaded his gun and headed to work the next day,” according to attorneys for Patel's family.

Investigators said the shell casings at the scene matched Trans's department-issued service weapon.

More than two weeks after the shooting, Tran was arrested at his workplace on Thursday, June 6, 2024, and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Tran pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody in Camden County, New Jersey.

William Farrington

Family members said the shooting caused Patel to suffer cardiac arrest, a brain injury and a fractured vertebra. Patel is currently a quadriplegic with limited brain function and has been transferred to a facility in Texas for specialized treatment, according to his family.

On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Patel's family – currently represented by Philadelphia-based attorney Joseph M. Marrone – filed a lawsuit against Tran, New York City, New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban, several unnamed NYPD officers, and New York mayor Eric Adams.

The lawsuit alleges that Tran had significant mental health issues and struggled with alcoholism, but despite those issues, he was still accepted into the NYPD and armed with a service pistol.

According to the lawsuit, Tran was considered a “problem officer” who needed to be “taken off the streets.”

“After serving in Harlem for less than three years, Officer Tran was transferred to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (“DCPI”),” the lawsuit states. “This is a known repository of NYPD employees who have committed misconduct but for some reason have not been completely removed from the NYPD.”

The lawsuit states that despite his transfer, Tran was not suspended from the police force and was not required to surrender his 9mm service pistol. The lawsuit also states that Tran shot Patel with the same service pistol.

The lawsuit also alleges that Tran's superiors at the NYPD were aware of Tran's problems following a psychological evaluation. According to the lawsuit, Tran's supervisor urged him to seek treatment for his alcoholism, but Tran never did so.

The lawsuit also blamed Commissioner Caban and Mayor Adams for their roles as NYPD policymakers.

“The failure of Defendant City of New York (“City”) and the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) to adopt and/or enforce appropriate policies, procedures and practices to address a long-standing problem of alcohol and drug abuse “The police officers’ conduct, both on and off duty, constituted deliberate indifference and was a proximate cause of plaintiffs’ injuries,” the lawsuit states.

NBC10 contacted Tran's attorney for comment.

“While Mr. Patel's injuries are sad and regrettable and Mr. Tran continues to pray for him, Mr. Tran maintains his innocence of these allegations, but there is much more to the story than what has been reported,” a spokesperson wrote.

NBC News 4 New York has also reached out to Mayor Adams' office and the NYPD for comment. A police spokesman said they would not comment due to the pending litigation. We have not yet received a response from Mayor Adams' office.