An NYPD officer has been identified as one of New York City’s most notorious speeders, having accumulated over 500 traffic violations in his home borough over the past four years, as per a recent report.
Officer James Giovansanti, aged 33, was captured by traffic cameras on Staten Island either speeding in school zones or running red lights 187 times just in the past year, according to a report from Streetsblog released on Thursday.
Since 2022, Giovansanti has amassed a staggering total of 547 traffic violations throughout Staten Island, as detailed by the publication.
Known for his heavy foot on the accelerator, Giovansanti frequently races his Ram pickup truck through the densely populated neighborhoods of Staten Island’s North Shore, based on ticket records.
Two traffic cameras positioned near Port Richmond High School, adjacent to the Bayonne Bridge, recorded the off-duty officer blasting through red lights 105 times since 2022, the data reveals.
While most city streets have speed limits set between 25 to 30 mph, it remains unclear how far above these limits Giovansanti was traveling when captured by speed cameras.
Giovansanti was fined anywhere from $50 to $176.12 for his various driving and parking offenses, save for two outlying violations in Brooklyn and Queens.
In all, he’s accumulated $36,650.02 in fines, and it’s not clear if he’s paid the amount in full.
Comparatively, Streetsblog reported that the city’s reigning reckless driving champion, an unidentified Brooklynite, has amassed a startling $63,744.23 in fines.
City drivers who garner two or more moving violation tickets annually are 40 times more likely to cause a crash that could kill or critically injure others, according to the New York City Department of Transportation.
New York State Sen. Andrew Gounardes said that Giovansanti is exactly the kind of “serial speeder” his “Stop Super Speeders Act” will hold accountable.
“Cops are supposed to protect and serve, not speed and swerve. Their job is to keep us safe, so it’s disappointing to see this officer putting his neighbors in harm’s way,” Gounardes wrote on Facebook.
The state lawmaker said that his act “works the same way” as the speeding camera program, with the hardline of placing speed limiters in cars linked to drivers who are issued 16 or more speeding tickets in one year.
The Post reached out to the NYPD for comment.
