Injured cop's family reaches out to victim's loved ones

The crash that killed Suffolk police officer Glen Ciano hit close to home for the family of injured Nassau officer Kenneth Baribault, and his sister said Monday that they will "absolutely" be reaching out to Ciano's family.

Baribault, 31, was severely injured when a suspected drunken driver slammed into his patrol car after the officer had stopped another driver later who was later charged with drunken driving on the Long Island Expressway on May 18.

"My heart goes out to them," said Baribault's sister, Danielle Rella, 24, of Fort Salonga. "My parents and entire family has been praying for them and thinking about them, that they find the strength that they need during this horrible time."

She said she would probably drop a card off at the Second Precinct, where Ciano was based, and ask that it gets forwarded to the officer's family.

Rella said she couldn't imagine what Ciano's relatives were going through.

"To think that they had that news immediately, that this officer didn't even get a chance, that he probably could've survived if the car didn't go on fire, that he was trapped in there, it is absolutely horrific," she said. "I have been thinking about them since yesterday, and it's just heartbreaking."

Jose Borbon, 23, of Plainview, who is accused of hitting Ciano, was previously arrested and charged with a DWI in January and was driving with a conditional license. Rahiem Griffin, 28, charged with crashing into Baribault's patrol car, had a suspended license for unpaid tickets and lapsed insurance.

Griffin's case is currently pending before Judge Jerald Carter in Nassau County Court, and he has a conference set for Monday. In addition to the DWI, he has been charged with several felonies, including second degree assault and vehicular assault.

"DWIs are an epidemic," Rella said. "We need to start cracking down and say that automatically, if you get pulled over for drunk driving, you could face jail time."

Baribault is currently undergoing outpatient rehabilitation at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson three days a week. He is taken to International Brain Research Foundation, Inc. in Edison, N.J., two days a week. His sister said that Baribault has an aide by his side 24 hours a day, but he can eat, speak a few words and walks with assistance and a cane.

Staff writer Ann Givens contributed to this report.