Tuckahoe Seeks Outside Investigator After DA Review of Costanzo Incident
TUCKAHOE, N.Y. — One day after the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office announced that the available evidence was insufficient to support criminal charges against any officers involved in the controversial August 14 incident involving Donna Costanzo, the wife of retired Tuckahoe Police Chief John Costanzo, the Village of Tuckahoe announced that an outside investigator will now conduct an independent disciplinary review.
Black Westchester reported Tuesday, Sept. 22, that the District Attorney’s Office had completed its criminal review of the incident, which allegedly began in Yonkers and ended in Tuckahoe, and referred the matter back to Tuckahoe for any administrative or disciplinary action it deemed appropriate.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, Tuckahoe Police Chief Larry Rotta provided Black Westchester with a statement outlining the Village’s next steps.
“The Tuckahoe Police Department has received the report from the Public Integrity Bureau of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office regarding its investigation of the motor vehicle accident that occurred on August 14, 2026.
“From the outset, the Village referred the matter to the Public Integrity Bureau to ensure an independent review and maintain transparency throughout the process.
“Now that the District Attorney’s Office has completed its review, the Village has chosen to have an external independent investigator conduct a disciplinary review of the matter. They will review the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether any departmental policies, procedures, or rules may have been violated and whether disciplinary action may be warranted.
“This disciplinary review is a process that must be followed before any determinations are made or further action is taken. We ask the public to respect the process and allow the independent investigator to complete a thorough and fair review. Additional information will be shared with the public at the appropriate time, consistent with applicable laws and personnel confidentiality requirements.
“The Village and the Tuckahoe Police Department remain committed to accountability, transparency, and maintaining the highest professional standards.”
The Criminal Review Is Over. The Accountability Questions Are Not.
Black Westchester believes the District Attorney’s findings speak directly to the central question we raised when we first reported on this case one month ago. The criminal investigation may be over, but the public-accountability question remains: Would someone without those connections have been treated the same way? That was the question then, and it remains the question now.
According to the findings released by the District Attorney’s Office, police had been alerted to two previous alleged hit-and-run incidents before responding to another collision involving Costanzo. The DA’s review also established that no sobriety investigation was conducted, no documented explanation was provided for why such an investigation was not conducted, a responding officer knew Costanzo was the former police chief’s wife, and an officer ultimately drove her home.
Those circumstances did not result in criminal charges against the officers. But whether officers followed departmental policies and procedures, exercised appropriate judgment, or provided preferential treatment is a separate question — and that is now the subject of the independent disciplinary review.
Chief Rotta told Black Westchester that additional information could become available after that process is finished.
“Once the internal investigation is complete, I can release more details regarding the further facts we find out,” Rotta informed Black Westchester.
That review will now be critical.
Black Westchester will wait for the independent investigator to complete the disciplinary process, but we will also continue watching, asking questions, and following this case closely. Because while the criminal investigation has concluded, the larger questions surrounding police procedure, discretion, accountability, and equal treatment have not.
For now, the public is still left with more questions than answers.
