3 days ago
2 NYPD cops paralyzed in line-of-duty crashes promoted to second-grade detectives: ‘I wasn't going to give up'
Two NYPD cops paralyzed during line-of-duty car crashes about two decades ago were promoted to second-grade detectives Friday – as one of the brave Finest declared, 'I wasn't going to give up.'
Scot O. Abrams, 51, a 27-year NYPD veteran who suffered a spinal cord injury and a compound fracture to his left leg after a 2007 motorcycle crash – said he was determined to return to the job despite his life-altering injuries.
Abrams received a standing ovation at One Police Plaza's auditorium as he was officially bumped up in rank – while his proud wife Tara, 51, and son Joshua, 19, looked on.
'It's long-awaited, you know,' Abrams exclusively told The Post after the ceremony. 'Just because I was hurt, I wasn't gonna stop being back to the job.'
Abrams, who was assigned to Highway Patrol Unit 2 in Brooklyn, was heading on his motorcycle to a funeral procession when he was suddenly cut off, FOX 5 reported at the time.
He lost control, slammed into a bus and was ejected from his ride.
His injuries were so severe that he was given his last rites at the hospital, his wife told the network at the time.
But on Friday, the detective said it's 'unbelievable' that he was able to overcome the nearly life-ending hurdle and continue to serve.
'It's the Marine in me,' Abrams said. 'My wife knew it from day one. I wasn't going to give up… I started to go to work and, you know, give a positive outlook for [others in] the police department.'
'[I wanted to] show my son who was 14 months old when my incident happened — now he's 19 as a young man – never to give up and push through, to strive and dreams and goals will come to you,' he said.
'And in five years or so, he's going to be in blue standing right next to me,' Abrams added.
Joshua – who is now enlisting in the Marine Corps and then plans to transition to the NYPD – welled up with tears as he reflected on his hero dad's perseverance.
'He's helped me become a respectable young man,' he said. 'He's helped me through a lot of hard obstacles in my life, and I just wouldn't know what I would do without him.'
Another hero cop left paralyzed in the line of duty almost exactly 20 years ago also received a standing ovation as he was promoted to second-grade detective.
Det. Thomas Mitchell was in a squad car heading to a robbery call in the Rockaways the early morning of May 26, 2005, when the cruiser slammed into a utility pole, according to a report at the time.
Mitchell, who wasn't wearing his seatbelt, was paralyzed from the chest down and remains in a wheelchair today.
Since the fateful crash, his goal is to help inspire and guide younger cops.
'For some reason [the 20 years] went by really fast,' Mitchell said. 'I've been going around giving speeches to other officers about what happens when you're not wearing a seat belt in a [police car].'
'I told them how my life is fine for one second and then it was completely changed,' he added. 'You gotta get to a job sometimes fast, but you gotta also arrive in one piece.'
Mitchell's wife, Debra, 53, said her husband made a quick transition following the crash.
'He went from being a police officer that uses – 6-foot-2 guy — his physical prowess, and he turned to combining that with his heart and his mind and just being authentic,' Debra said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch commended both hero cops at the ceremony.
'Scot and Thomas didn't stop working,' the top cop said. 'They didn't just focus on themselves when they had every single reason in the world to do so. They turned their injuries into purpose and continued to serve.'
Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro also praised Abrams' and Mitchell's 'strength in the face of life-altering, line-of-duty injuries and their continued dedication to their fellow Finest and our city.'
Tisch also applauded another promotee – the department's first third-generation Bomb Squad cop, Christopher B. Senft, who was raised in rank from officer to detective.
His grandfather, retired Det. Anthony Senft, now 78, was wounded in 1982 while trying to help defuse an explosive placed at Manhattan's Federal Plaza by the infamous Puerto Rican terror group FALN.
He received the Medal of Valor, the department's highest recognition.
Christopher's father, Brian Senft, 55, also spent 14 years as a detective – the last five in the Bomb Squad. He has since retired from the NYPD and now works for Homeland Security.
'Both Anthony and Brian were Detective Shield number 160, passing from father to son, and today, that shield belongs to the newest Detective Senft,' Tisch said.
Christopher's great-grandfather also had the same shield number, but in the Suffolk County Police Department, 'so it's technically the fourth generation of that number, but third generation in the NYPD,' Brian said.
The youngest Senft detective said he always dreamed of continuing the NYPD legacy.
'Growing up my whole life, I always wanted to be a police officer,' Christopher said. 'That was always my only [goal] – I didn't know what else I would do besides that.'
'So I always knew that I was going to pursue this. Specifically the Bomb Squad, it was always like my second dream to get into this unit.'
Meanwhile, the eldest Senft was filled with pride over his grandson's achievement.
'It's very, very emotional – to be alive, and then to see my son follow in my footsteps and achieve the things he did,' Anthony said. 'And now my grandson, I mean, the emotions are just running over at this point.'
Christopher shares an 11-month-old daughter, Giada, with his wife, Gabriella, who works as a police officer in Queens' 111th Precinct.
'I'm extremely happy and very fortunate to be able to be here to see my grandchildren and my great granddaughter,' the eldest Senft added. 'You know, it's a wonderful thing because I'm getting up there in age. I'm very, very proud. It's a proud day for me.'
