On-duty NYPD traffic cop sprayed with fire extinguisher in New York

Lina PortmanMay 28, 2024

0 1 minute read

HARLEM, MANHATTAN (PIX11) – An NYPD traffic police officer was sprayed with a fire extinguisher while on duty in Harlem last Thursday, authorities say.

The 43-year-old officer was in uniform near St. Nicholas Avenue and West 118th Street when he was approached by a gray sedan, police said. A person in the gray sedan then sprayed the fire extinguisher in the officer's face, authorities said.

The car fled northbound on Avenue Saint-Nicolas. The officer was transported to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital.

One of the suspects was identified as Escarlin Polanco Gonzalez, 19, according to authorities.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered local and national news since 2018.. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.