A former officer from the New York City Police Department has pleaded guilty in a road‐rage shooting that happened in New Jersey and left the victim severely disabled.
28-year-old Hieu Tran admitted guilt to the charge of attempted murder to the incident that occurred on May 17, 2024 in Voorhees Township (Camden County). At the time, he was off‑duty.
According to prosecutors, the victim, who is 30‑year‑old Kishan Patel, was driving home when the crash took place at the intersection of Route 73 and Cooper Road. Investigators say Tran used his department-issued firearm during the encounter and shot Patel.
Police looked over the surveillance video and cellphone records, and they were used as evidence that linked Tran’s weapon to the scene. Investigators have said that the shell casings on the scene matched with Tran’s service weapon.
The shooting led to a crash involving multiple vehicles and left Patel with catastrophic injuries. He suffered through cardiac arrest, a brain injury and a broken vertebrae and became a quadriplegic,now requiring around‑the‑clock care and spending the last year in a specialized facility in Texas.
“Mr. Patel did nothing wrong the night Officer Tran admitted to being very drunk when he pulled up alongside his car and fired three shots at him with his NYPD issued firearm, striking him in the back of the head,” said the family’s attorney Joseph Marrone. “Mr. Patel had just gotten engaged and had his whole life ahead of him. He went from running his family business to being under 24-hour-a-day care in a specialized rehabilitation facility. It is unclear if he will ever speak or walk again.”
After his arrest, Tran was suspended without pay and later terminated. His sentencing is scheduled for December 15, and he faces up to ten years in prison. This case has also led to a civil lawsuit filed by Patel’s family. They claim the city and the police department had known about Tran’s struggles with alcohol and mental health but still allowed him to remain armed.
“Mr. Patel’s family can now focus their attention on demanding that the NYPD make immediate changes to its toxic atmosphere where alcoholism and mental health issues run rampant among the rank and file,” Marrone said.
“We are hopeful that Mayor-Elect (Zohran) Mamdani will take a close look at this case and mandate that the NYPD adopt new policies and procedures designed to prevent this from happening to another family,” he continued.
The shooting has raised questions about important topics for the NYPD including officer oversight and weapon access for off‑duty officers.
