BUFFALO, N.Y. — The City of Buffalo announced Friday that injured Police Officer Jonathan Negron has been released from the Erie County Medical Center.
The 29-year-old officer, who has been on the police force for two years, has been at ECMC for the last 36 days after suffering severe injuries after an accident while attempting to stop a vehicle.
He spent a portion of that time in the trauma intensive care unit with serious head injuries and was placed in a medically-induced coma.
It was on Thursday, June 3 when Officer Negron was trying to stop a car that fled through Mount Calvary Cemetery and onto Harlem Road where it hit a light pole and two other vehicles. The light pole came down on the driver's side of Negron's police cruiser.
The 16-year-old driver of the vehicle is facing several criminal charges, including felony assault on a police officer. Prosecutors want him to be tried as an adult.
Buffalo Police Benevolent Association President John Evans told 2 On Your Side at the time that quick actions of responding officers likely saved Negron's life.
On Friday, in an emotional moment, several fellow officers gathered outside of ECMC as Negron came out in a wheelchair and then rose to his feet. Negron's colleagues saluted and cheered for him as he left the hospital.
Negron's family issued a statement on Friday:
"On behalf of Jonathan Negron and his family, I would like to thank Mayor Byron Brown and the command staff of the Buffalo Police Department for their continuous support of our family, and also all the officers and detectives involved in the incident.
"The family would also like to thank all the staff at ECMC for the amazing care Jonathan received and the support that they showed us through this difficult time. The past 35 days have been very hard on all of us and we cannot express more deeply how grateful we are for the support of all the men and women of the Buffalo police department, the Erie County Sheriff's Office, and all the local departments.
"The support of the community has been overwhelming and on behalf of the Negron family, the Taborn family, and Jonathan himself, we thank each and every one of you very much."
Evans told 2 on Your Side after Negron's release, "We've been praying all along and keeping our fingers crossed and it seemed to work so we're very happy."
"It is an example of how unpredictable and dangerous the job can be. You hope when you go in, you're gonna finish the tour," Evans added. "I guess we're just taking it one step at a time and we're grateful for the progress he has made."
