Pelham officer makes strides after car accident

PELHAM MANOR â€" The village police officer who was badly injured last month when he was struck by a car while assisting in a traffic stop has made significant progress in his recovery.

Police Chief Al Mosiello said Officer Michael Tillistrand is talking, walking and even cracking a few jokes.

“He seemed very upbeat,” Mosiello said in recounting a recent visit to see Tillistrand at Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw. “He kept telling me he can’t wait to get back to work.”

Tillistrand, 28, was helping a fellow officer issue a ticket on Boston Post Road early in the evening of Nov. 15 when he was hit by a car. He suffered severe injuries to his head and spent weeks in the intensive care unit at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. At one point, doctors drilled a hole into his skull to relieve pressure on his brain.

The driver of the car that hit Tillistrand, Jill Ruggiero, 27, is the daughter of the village’s fire chief. Westchester County police are still investigating the crash and have not filed any charges.

Westchester County district attorney spokesman Lucian Chalfen said it was not unusual for an investigation like this to last more than a month. He said the fact that Ruggiero’s father is the fire chief has had no impact on the investigation.

Still, the Committee on Public Integrity, based in Washington and New York City, has asked that a special prosecutor be appointed to oversee the investigation. Chalfen would not directly comment on the group’s request, saying only, “We’re investigating the incident.”

Tillistrand, who lives in Yorktown, joined the Pelham Manor Police Department in July. He spent several years with the New York City Police Department and is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan.

Mosiello said he was able to eat and walk with “a little assistance.”

In conversation, Mosiello said, Tillistrand “was being himself. He joked a few times.”

“He still has a long way to go,” Mosiello said. “As long as he continues to make progress, I’m hopeful he can make a full recovery and come back to work.”