Abreu questions why Vijay Bharadwaj hit-and-run was not escalated to CIS

So on June 23rd, 2026, Vijay Bharadwaj was struck in midtown by a turning vehicle.

The driver fled the scene and Vijay was unable to walk for six weeks after being struck and run over.

The crash.

unlike many hit and runs, was caught on video.

However, despite this evidence, the case was closed by a local precinct and not escalated to the CIS.

Why was this case not escalated to the CIS?

First, Chair, I want to say that that circumstance and what that individual suffered was horrible.

I second want to say that I can't speak to the details about the investigation in that case.

What I can say generally is that we are committed to using all the resources available to try to capture, to understand what happened in the case of a collision when there's a hit-and-run driver, to identify the individual responsible, and to bring justice and enforcement where it's appropriate.

I mean, this sounds like a perfect case for a CIS.

I mean, serious injury.

There's a hit and run.

Likely some, that means, you know, leaving the scene of a crime.

So there's a criminal implication there.

Would you agree that this is a perfect case for a CIS to be covering?

Under our current procedures, CIS is going to be taking cases overwhelmingly in instances where there's a fatality.

Thankfully, this individual did not die.

It was a likely fatality.

Again, luckily, this was not what he was doing.

He wasn't able to walk for six weeks.

Yeah.

So those determinations.

We were talking about earlier.

I was trying to ask you about what a serious injury would be.

This sounds to me like a very serious injury.

So under our current procedures, that's generally defined as being a critical injury, and that's a determination that we don't make.

That's a determination that's made by EMS or by a hospital.

And do you know how the hospital make a determination?

Are you saying it was a hospital's decision to label it a critical injury and therefore you didn't get involved?

I'm not trying to make a straw man.

I'm trying to understand if that's the implication.

So I can't speak to the specifics of this investigation, this case.

We can look into that and get back to you.

So how does NYPD know when there's a serious injury or not?

Well, so as a general matter, we'll be informed by the hospital or EMS that an injury is critical, it's fatal, it's likely to be fatal, and that's the case, the instance when CIS is taken.

In this specific instance, are you aware of EMS or the hospital indicating that this individual had a serious injury?

I can't speak to the specific instance, but we can look into that and certainly get back to you.

I would say as a general matter, if it's a critical injury, that's something that we would get from EMS.

And if this is something that is transported to you in real time via the telephone, is there some receipt we can probably try to obtain to get more information on this?

Chief, do you know the form in which those are coming over?

I'm sorry, can you just...

My question is, I'm trying to understand how is it when PD learns, NYPD learns in real time whether or not an injury is critical.

Okay.

And I'm trying to understand if there were some communication from EMS or from the hospital transported to you guys that made it such that this individual wasn't being perceived as having a serious injury.

Okay.

Because that way we can try to obtain the facts.

Like Director Pacino said, we can't speak to this particular case, but I will tell you.

At the scene of the incident, the initial scene when this collision happens, our officers respond.

EMS also is called, they respond.

If the injuries are serious enough where EMS determines, deems that this particular person is critical, likely to die, the person is dead, or critical, that...

Responding unit will call CIS.

They will respond.

We also have situations where people are conscious and alert and they die at the hospital.

In that case also, CIS is called.

So CIS will handle all critical, likely to die, all fatalities.

Serious injuries, we can't speak to this particular case.

We'll reach out to your office, speak to you a little more about it.

But to your question, with criticality, EMS determines, we respond, and CIS handles it.

But this case, we're going to have to get back to you on that.