(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Cody B. Fisher, 29, of Brentwood, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in September to Assault on a Police Officer, and several other related charges, for driving impaired by the combined influence of alcohol and marijuana, speeding, failing to pull over, and then crashing into Suffolk County Police Officer Brendon Gallagher’s police vehicle. The crash caused the officer’s vehicle to flip over and crash into a tree and resulted in serious injuries to the officer.
“When someone makes the choice to operate a vehicle while under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, then actively flees from law enforcement at excessive speeds, they have already demonstrated a profound disregard for human life,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This case went beyond a reckless flight. The fact that this officer survived is nothing short of a miracle. Today’s sentence of a decade in state prison reflects the gravity of using a motor vehicle as an instrument of violence against those sworn to protect our community.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on January 5, 2025, just before 6:00 p.m., Police Officer Gallagher was conducting a traffic stop of another motorist on the Long Island Expressway between exit 58 and exit 57. Fisher, driving his 2021 Ford Mustang, sped by Officer Gallagher. Officer Gallagher left his traffic stop and attempted to pull the defendant over. Fisher fled from the officer, weaving in and out of lanes, reaching speeds up to 100 mph.
As Officer Gallagher pulled alongside the defendant’s car, Fisher hit the police vehicle, causing it to lose control, flip on its side, and smash into a tree on the side of the expressway. Officer Gallagher had to be extricated from the vehicle and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was treated for a torn aorta and abdominal injuries requiring surgery.
Following the crash, Fisher’s severely damaged vehicle traveled hundreds of feet on the side of the expressway before coming to a stop. When Suffolk County Police arrived, they observed that Fisher had glassy, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet. Officers also observed a strong smell of burnt cannabis emanating from Fisher’s person and his vehicle.
Fisher was placed under arrest and refused to submit to a blood test. A warrant was subsequently issued, and analysis of Fisher’s blood revealed a blood alcohol content of .06 percent as well as the presence of active marijuana.
On September 4, 2025, Fisher pleaded guilty to the following charges before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins:
- One Count of Assault on a Police Officer, a Class C violent felony;
- One Count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony;
- One Count of Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree, a Class E felony;
- One Count of Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in the Second Degree, a Class E felony;
- One Count of Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combined Influence of a Drug or Alcohol and Drugs, an unclassified misdemeanor; and
- One Count of Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, an unclassified misdemeanor.
On October 21, 2025, Justice Collins sentenced Fisher to 10 years, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. He was represented by Eric Besso Esq. and Peter Mayer Jr., Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Acting Deputy Bureau Chief Laura Newcombe and Assistant District Attorney Annemarie DiBlasio of the Vehicular Crime Bureau, with investigative assistance by Detective Donal Hughes of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit.
