The rookie NYPD cop who killed an MIT student and injured several others when police say he drove drunk onto a Brooklyn sidewalk is a “great guy” who had a lot on his mind since adopting his recently deceased brother’s kid, according to a close friend.
“He definitely didn’t mean for anything to happen, that’s a guaranteed fact,” 30-year-old Justin Atson said while defending his longtime cop buddy Nick Batka.
“What I can tell you is he is a great guy.”
Batka, 28, was wasted when he jumped a curb and blindsided a group of pedestrians near the Bedford Avenue subway station around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, police said.
The crash killed 21-year-old Andrew Esquivel, a bright young MIT student, and badly injured three others.
Andrew EsquivelFacebookAtson said his friend has been troubled since his brother died recently.
“[Batka] recently adopted his brother’s daughter because his brother just died,” he explained.
“It’s been really hard for him to deal with. [He and his brother] were really close, fishing all the time together.”
“He’s a blessing for that girl,” Atson added.
Batka was charged with manslaughter and other crimes in the incident. He was freed on $300,000 bond and suspended from the NYPD.
