QUEENS, NY – According to authorities, Jessica Beauvais, 32, of Hempstead, NY, was allegedly intoxicated on vodka, wine, and weed when she got behind the wheel of her Volkswagen Passat on Tuesday – right after livestreaming an extended anti-police rant on social media – and went on to kill a dedicated NYPD officer in a horrific hit-and-run on the Long Island Expressway.
Police say that Beauvais – who has a suspended license – struck 14-year NYPD veteran Anastasio Tsakos on the Long Island Expressway while the Highway Patrol Unit officer was directing traffic from a separate crash. Beauvais was reportedly speeding and ignored traffic cones and flashing lights when she hit Tsakos, sending the married father of two flying 100 feet into the air; the officer later died from his injuries.
With her windshield and hood smashed while dragging a traffic cone, Beauvais fled the scene; police caught up with her several exits later and placed her under arrest, at which time she reportedly cursed at the officers, saying “f**k you, I don’t have to listen to you” and even asking them “what did I do?”
Just hours before the incident, Beauvais had been ranting against the police in a nearly two-hour long livestream on her Facebook page, saying “we can fight the police too,” “if you’re going to kill me, at least I get to take someone with me,” and “f**k the police.” Beauvais was shown vaping and taking shots of unknown beverages from small plastic cups throughout the livestream.
Police report that Beauvais blew a .15, which is nearly double the legal limit; despite her claims that she only drank one beer, reports indicate that she was slurring her words and walking unsteadily at the time of her arrest. However, prosecutors would later claim that Beauvais had confirmed to them that she had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before she got into her vehicle.
Beauvais, a single mother of one, was led in handcuffs from a Queens police precinct after 13 hours in police custody, with the suspect weeping openly as reporters asked her if she had anything to say about the incident.
“I’m sorry,” she said while sobbing. “I’m sorry that I hit him and he’s dead. I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”
Beauvais faces 13 counts, including second-degree aggravated manslaughter and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison.
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