Philadelphia Police ID Off-Duty Officer Killed In Car Crash
By Marcy Norton, Steve Patterson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia Police have identified the off-duty officer who was killed in an overnight car crash in Roxborough.
Investigators say 32-year old Sergeant Rafael Ali was going well over the 35 mile-an-hour speed limit on the 6000 block of Henry Avenue late Saturday when his SUV left the roadway, traveled over a grassy median, and finally collided with a tree.
The officer had finished a regular work shift at 6 p.m, but it's not clear where he was coming from or going when the crash occurred.
Captain John Wilczynski of the Accident Investigation Division said there were no skid marks at the crash scene, so it's possible the driver simply fell asleep:
"Normally, someone would hit a brake, would swerve. So it's just a thought that he may have fallen asleep. It's a theory right now."
There were no witnesses or surveillance video.
"We can speculate why, we just don't know why. What we do know is it's a sad event," Wilczynski says.
What is known is Sergeant Ali was a ten-year police veteran, who had been serving in the 39th district for three years. He was a father of two, a respected officer, and neighbors say he was a good man.
Investigators are now awaiting an autopsy to hopefully fill in some of the blanks.
