Line Of Duty Funeral Planned For MTA Officer Hit On Verrazano
A funeral for the MTA Bridge and Tunnel officer who was who was stuck by a car on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 2013 will be held at a Dyker Heights funeral home this week.
Officer Thomas Choi will be honored with a full, line of duty funeral on Thursday, January 8 and Friday, January 9, the MTA has announced.
Officer Choi, who was critically injured by a car while reopening a roadway at the Verrazano Bridge in October 2013, passed away last week after remaining in a coma for 14 months.
A viewing for Officer Choi will take place at the King Fook Funeral Home, 6920 Fort Hamilton Parkway, in Brooklyn on Thursday, January 8 between 3pm and 7pm. Final services will be held Friday, January 9 from 8:30am to 10am, followed by a private burial at a cemetery in Westchester County.
The MTA Bridges and Tunnels Honor Guard will lead the procession during the viewing, and police officers representing departments throughout the tri-state region are expected to line the street outside the funeral home to honor Officer Choi.
Officer Choi, 62, an 11-year veteran of the agency, became the first Bridge and Tunnel Officer to die in the line of duty in the agency’s 81-year history.
In 2006, Officer Choi received a meritorious service award for a felony arrest at the Verrazano Bridge of a motorist driving with a license that had been suspended 179 times. While being transported to a local police precinct the motorist tried to escape and Officer Choi subdued him.
Last week, a flag was flown at half-staff and with bunting outside the administration building for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to honor Officer Choi, as well as fallen officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.
A resident of Staten Island, Officer Choi was assigned to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge his entire career. He is survived by his wife, Michelle, two sons, Calvin and Timothy, and a daughter, Tiffany.
