NYPD Let Killer Cop Retire Amidst Pending Discipline Proceedings in Killing of Bangladeshi Teen Win Rozario

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, October 8, 2026

NYPD Let Killer Cop Retire Amidst Pending Discipline Proceedings in Killing of Bangladeshi Teen Win Rozario

Family calls NYPD “corrupt,” says they feel “betrayed” by Mayor Mamdani and issues list of demands, including firing of second officer responsible for teen’s death 

New York, NY — Today, the family of Win Rozario held a press conference exposing that the NYPD let former Officer Salvatore Alongi, one of the two officers who killed their son in March 2024, retire in May with his pension and without notifying the civilian review board that was charged with prosecuting him in a pending discipline trial. In spite of city policy requiring that the NYPD notify the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) of retirement applications, the CCRB was never informed of a pending application, removing the possibility of an expedited discipline trial.  In September 2025, multiple misconduct charges against Officer Alongi and his partner, Officer Matthew Cianfrocco, were substantiated by the CCRB, clearing the way for preparation towards a disciplinary trial. 

Joined by elected officials, the Justice Committee, other organizations and New Yorkers, Win Rozario’s parents and younger brother each spoke of their individual reactions and anger upon learning of Alongi’s retirement, months after he had already left the NYPD. Following their individual statements, the following joint family statement was shared, from Notan Eva Costa (mother of Win Rozario), Francis Rozario (father of Win Rozario), and Utsho Rozario (brother of Win Rozario):

“All three of us have spoken about how outrageous it is that the NYPD let Alongi retire and  avoid being fired for murdering Win. We’re disgusted that we weren’t even informed that he had retired until August - months after he had already left with his pension, which we as taxpayers are paying for. We want to make clear that we believe this is part of a major cover-up and corruption involving the top leaders of the NYPD, including Jessica Tisch, who should be fired. We feel betrayed by the mayor, who came to our home and talked with us when he was campaigning, after Win was murdered. He said he would be a different kind of mayor but it doesn’t seem like it when it comes to the NYPD. At this point we demand that the administration:

• Schedule the Cianfrocco discipline trial and fire him as soon as possible. March will mark three years since Win was killed. Don’t force us to continue to be fighting to fire Cianfrocco when we should be commemorating 3 years after Win was stolen from us.

• End NYPD obstruction and make sure Alongi is officially put on the state decertification list so that he can’t work as an officer ever again.

• Make all information related to Alongi’s retirement public. Whether through a DOI investigation or another independent process we demand for us and the public to know: the facts and full timeline about how Alongi was allowed to retire; the terms of Alongi’s retirement, including what his retirement and exit package included and didn’t; who at the NYPD knew what about Alongi’s retirement and when they knew it, and anything else that will help the public and us understand the cover-up, so that this situation never happens again in the future. 

• Make sure that NYPD higher ups face serious consequences for letting this outrage happen, as well as for other obstruction the NYPD has engaged in, including the Force Investigation Division and senior NYPD officials who are responsible for overseeing FID and DAO. This includes firing Jessica Tisch.

• Remove police from all mental health response, including replacing BHEARD with a model that works and that would have resulted in Win getting care and not being killed by the NYPD.” 

While Alongi was allowed to escape discipline consequences through his retirement, Officer Matthew Cianfrocco remains on the force, pending the outcome of a pending discipline trial. Win’s family’s demands for the NYC Department of Investigations (DOI) to investigate Alongi’s retirement, follows a recently released report on concerns related to an aspect of the NYC Police Pension Fund’s retirement program. DOI has specific oversight authority over all city agencies. New York state law requires that if “an officer has resigned or retired subsequent to, or in connection with, allegations of misconduct” as Alongi did, the relevant police department is responsible for reporting them to the state for decertification. According to public state records, the NYPD still hasn’t reported Alongi for decertification. 

Loyda Colón (they/them), Executive Director of the Justice Committee, and a key organizer who works closely with Win’s family stated: “The NYPD let a killer cop retire almost half a year ago, protecting him from being fired – and according to public records, the NYPD still hasn’t even reported him for state decertification which means he could easily be hired as a cop in another jurisdiction. The NYPD never informed the CCRB that Alongi retired, robbing Win’s family of the chance to see him stand trial and be fired. Making matters worse, Win’s family was kept in the dark for months about Alongi’s retirement – while they continued to plan their campaign and fight to fire both cops. Both Alongi and Cianfrocco should have already been fired, but the NYPD has been allowed to continue to use dirty tricks to help cops who kill, brutalize and abuse New Yorkers keep their jobs or retire with benefits. The mayor and this administration has the opportunity and obligation to end this cycle of NYPD abuse, obstruction and cover-ups that families and police violence survivors are regularly subjected to by ensuring that Cianfrocco is fired as soon as possible and that the family’s other demands are agreed to.”

Elected officials who came out to support Win, included Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Council Members Shahana Hanif, Alexa Avilés, Sandy Nurse, Pierina Sanchez, and Carmen De La Rosa. 

Organizations included: Justice Committee, Desis Rising Up and Moving, Freedom Agenda, Make the Road New York, and Showing Up for Racial Justice.

Additional quotes

“This is yet another example of NYPD completely betraying our public trust,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés. “Every time we show up to discuss this case, my heart gets more broken—for Win Rosario’s family, his community, and our city. This is not public safety, it is public harm, and the circumvention of true justice. We need resources and programs that improve the lives of New Yorkers, and I’m sickened by the public funds that are instead used for violence. We must expect better from our city.”

BACKGROUND

On March 27, 2024, 19-year old teenager Win Rozario was killed in front of his mother and younger brother in his family’s Ozone Park apartment by NYPD Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco. Officers Alongi and Cianfrocco recklessly shot Win at least five times in less than two minutes of entering the apartment, as his mother pleaded for the officers not to shoot. Alongi & Cianfrocco violated numerous NYPD protocols, including when they tased Win without warning while he was standing still with nothing in his hands, chaotically escalating the crisis that they had created without properly taking NYPD-required steps to de-escalate in spite of sufficient time to do so, and shooting Win while his mother and younger brother were nearby, endangering their lives.  

Immediately following the shooting, NYPD officers forced Win’s mother and younger brother to go to the precinct to be interrogated, refusing to allow them to accompany Win to the hospital. Ms. Costa was questioned at length without counsel before being told her son had died, and Win’s 17-year-old brother was also interrogated alone. The NYPD blocked re-entry to the Rozario family’s home for more than two days, refusing the family’s requests to retrieve belongings, access medications, or even to have someone feed their cat.

For over a month after Win Rozario was killed, the NYPD blocked transparency, including refusing to release the names of the officers involved. Alongi and Cianfrocco’s names were first publicly identified by the Attorney General’s Office when they released officer body camera footage on May 3, 2024. After being questioned by reporters, Mayor Adams falsely claimed that he had reached out to the family after the incident and that discipline would have to wait until after the Attorney General’s investigation concluded with a determination, which has never been accurate.

For the past two and a half years, Win Rozario’s family, along with the Justice Committee, Desis Rising Up & Moving and other organizations have called for the NYPD to fire NYPD officers Alongi and Cianfrocco. Win’s family is also calling for police to be removed from the city’s mental health response systems. Win Rozario’s mother wrote about the first year since Win was killed and the NYPD’s mistreatment of her family in a March 2025 Daily News Op-Ed. 

On September 12, 2025, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) substantiated eight misconduct charges  against officers Alongi and Cianfrocco, including excessive force and abuse of authority, and filed “charges and specifications,” the highest class of discipline against officers. The NYPD was pushed to serve the charges within the week, and a departmental discipline trial is pending. 

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About the Justice Committee:

Since the 1980s, the Justice Committee (JC) has been dedicated to building a movement against police violence and systemic racism in New York City. The heart of our work is organizing and uplifting the leadership of families who have lost loved ones to the police and survivors of police violence. We empower our community to deter police violence, hold law enforcement accountable, and build people-led community safety through grassroots organizing campaigns, community empowerment, political education, our CopWatch program, and by developing safety mechanisms and projects that decrease reliance on police. By building solidarity with other anti-racist, immigrant and people of color-led organizations, the Justice Committee seeks to contribute to a broad-based movement for racial, social, and economic justice.