A veteran New York City Police Department detective was found dead on June 6, hours after a former chief reportedly killed himself.
“I don’t understand it. I don’t understand why he would do this,” said a stunned police officer who knew him, according to the Post.
His death comes after Steven Silks, the NYPD deputy chief of Queens North, fatally shot himself in the head while sitting in a patrol car. He was just weeks away from his mandatory retirement.
“I am shocked and shattered beyond belief,” said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association, referring to Calabrese. “Joseph Calabrese was a dedicated detective, union official, husband and father. He was the salt of the earth.”
The longtime detective was last heard from at around 2 a.m. after leaving Maimonides Medical Center in Borough Park. His wife had undergone a medical procedure, the paper reported.
His car was found by another NYPD detective near the beach at around 3 a.m., sources told the paper.
On June 6, he didn’t show up for work, another official said.
Calabrese joined the police force in 1982 and eventually rose to detective first grade, which is a high-ranking title in the NYPD, the Daily News reported. His son also works for the NYPD and is assigned to the 67th Precinct.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that Dep. Chief Steve Silks (XO-PBQN) passed away yesterday after nearly 40 yrs of dedicated service. He was a one-of-a-kind, well-accomplished individual & an amazing storyteller. Steve will be missed by so many throughout the NYPD & NYC,” said NYPD Queens North on Twitter.
He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, but he couldn’t be revived, the website reported.
“I am speechless,” said Roy Richter, who is head of the Captains Endowment Association. “Steve was an incredibly dedicated and great guy. He was great at what he does. This is a terrible loss.”
He described him as an outdoorsman.
“He ran a 3:09 New York Marathon at one point in his life and reached the summit of Mount Everest,” Richter said. “He coordinated the U.S. Open on a regular basis.”