HOPEWELL JUNCTION – The East Fishkill Police Officer killed in the line of duty on Monday evening has been identified as 47-year-old Daniel DiDato. Acting Police Chief Derrick Cuccia, in a prepared statement, said that DiDato started with the department on January 2, 2005.
DiDato was killed when his patrol vehicle ran off the roadway on the Taconic State Parkway between Miller Hill Road and I-84 while he was traveling to Westchester Medical Center to interview a pedestrian who had been struck earlier in the day near the East Fishkill Police Headquarters. The vehicle struck a tree and DiDato was entrapped in the vehicle, unconscious.
A passing motorist saw the accident and used the emergency radio in DiDato’s vehicle to call for help. The audio of that transmission can be heard in the video below.
“Officer DiDato was everything that encompassed a great police officer and friend; He was genuine, smart, courageous, tough, and witty,” Acting Chief Cuccia said.
The deceased officer began his law enforcement career with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection before serving the Town of East Fishkill for nearly 19 years.
Cuccia said his department is mourning the loss of one of their own and requested that the privacy of Officer DiDato’s family be respected.
Governor Kathy Hochul said she is “devastated” by the death of DiDato. “Officers across New York serve and protect their neighbors and communities, and we feel this loss deeply. I extend prayers and condolences from all New Yorkers to the loved ones of Officer DiDato.”
The governor directing that flags on all state buildings be lowered to half-staff on Wednesday, December 20, in honor of Officer DiDato. “We will never forget his dedicated service to the Town of East Fishkill and his fellow New Yorkers,” she said.
