A former New York City police officer has been sentenced to a decade in prison for a road‑rage shooting that left a New Jersey man quadriplegic.
The Incident
On Friday, May 17, 2024, police responded to a multi‑vehicle crash at the intersection of Route 73 and Cooper Road in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. They found 30‑year‑old Kishan Patel, a resident of Voorhees, with a gunshot wound. Patel was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The Investigation
Surveillance video, cellphone records and ballistics evidence led Voorhees Township Police and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office to identify 27‑year‑old Hieu Tran of Yonkers, New York, as the suspect. Tran, who had just left a wedding and was off‑duty, used his department‑issued firearm to shoot Patel during an apparent road‑rage incident. Shell casings at the scene matched Tran’s NYPD service weapon.
Investigators noted that after the shooting, Tran “calmly drove north, stopped for gas, went home to New York, reloaded his weapon and went to work the next day,” according to attorneys for Patel’s family.
Legal Proceedings
Tran pleaded guilty to attempted murder on Nov. 6, 2025. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Dec. 15, 2025. The New York City law department declined to comment, but the NYPD confirmed that Tran was terminated from the department.
Aftermath and Lawsuit
Since the incident, Patel has spent the last year in a specialized facility in Texas as a quadriplegic with limited brain function requiring around‑the‑clock care. Attorney Joseph Marrone represented the Patel family, which filed a lawsuit against the city of New York alleging that the city knew Tran had significant mental health challenges and longstanding alcoholism.
Key Takeaways
- Former NYPD officer Hieu Tran sentenced to 10 years for shooting Voorhees man in road‑rage incident.
- Victim Kishan Patel is a quadriplegic receiving continuous care in Texas.
- Family lawsuit claims city was aware of Tran’s mental health and alcohol issues.
The case underscores the severe consequences of a single moment of violence, as a former officer’s actions led to a life‑changing injury and a decade of incarceration.
