he prosecutor said.

Irvine, a Con Edison technician, was commuting home from his job in a dark blue Volkswagen hatchback. After he was struck by the bullet, his car came to an abrupt stop in flowing traffic, then lurched forward into the far right lane. Medics rushed the married father of two to Englewood Medical Center in New Jersey, but he could not be saved. A former longtime resident of Flatbush, Brooklyn, he his family had recently moved to Valley Cottage in Rockland County, N.Y.

Romero fled the scene, speeding around the left side of Irvine's car, across the bridge and on to the Palisades, Sears said. The former narcotics detective was arrested the next day.

Romero joined the NYPD in 1994 and retired 25 years ago after seven years on the force. At the time of the bridge incident, he was working as a driver and private security.