NEW YORK — A retired New York City Police Department detective is accused of fatally shooting a motorist on the George Washington Bridge in what officials are calling a road rage incident.
Victor Romero, 62, of Haverstraw, New York, was charged with murder in connection with the shooting on the bridge, which connects Manhattan to Northern New Jersey, WABC reported.
He has been retired from the NYPD for 25 years and currently works for a company that drives executives, according to the television station.
Romero is accused of fatally shooting Koran Irvine, 46, of Valley Cottage, New York, on the upper level of the bridge on Tuesday, WNBC reported.
Irvine, who works for Con Edison in New York, was shot in the right shoulder just after 7 p.m. ET, according to WPIX. First responders discovered him unconscious in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the television station.
/x.com/ABC7NY/status/2113019598572233166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2026A retired veteran NYPD detective has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the fatal shooting of a 46-year-old Rockland County man during an apparent road rage incident on the George Washington Bridge.https://t.co/jB68d3KBao https://t.co/azeRmraEch
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY)A retired veteran NYPD detective has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the fatal shooting of a 46-year-old Rockland County man during an apparent road rage incident on the George Washington Bridge.https://t.co/jB68d3KBao https://t.co/azeRmraEch
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) October 21, 2026
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of a member of the Con Edison family in this senseless act of violence,” a Con Edison spokesperson said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who knew and loved him.”
According to surveillance video, Irvine was driving onto the upper level of the bridge from the Washington Heights section of Manhattan when his Volkswagen swerved into another lane and nearly crashed into a black Range Rover, WABC reported.
Romero, who police said was driving the black vehicle, allegedly sped up and caught up with the Volkswagen, according to the television station. Police said Romero fired a single shot that penetrated Irvine’s neck and was lodged in his shoulder, WABC reported.
Irvine’s vehicle also struck a median, bringing it to a full stop, according to WNBC.
The incident caused traffic jams on the bridge for several hours.
Police, in their initial investigations, have characterized the shooting as a road rage incident, the television station reported.
Neighbors described Irvine as “a very nice man.”
“We moved into the neighborhood; I remember when we first came, he would help us out,” Hope Dorceoly told WNBC. “They had chickens in the back. He brought us chicken eggs to welcome us in. He was just a really nice guy; we’re in shock, and we are devastated for the family.”
“A nice guy, he lived here around two years,” another neighbor, David Kagan, told WABC. “He recently put a lot of money in the house. I’m a bit surprised. He’s (a) really quiet guy.”
Romero retired from the New York Police Department in 2001, The Associated Press reported. He was wounded in the hand and chest in an off-duty shootout with men attempting to rob his family’s Brooklyn laundromat in June 2000.
According to news reports, Romero used his service weapon to shoot one of the men in the stomach, arm and leg. The other man was shot in the legs.
Police said that Tuesday’s incident remains under investigation.
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