Ex-NYPD sergeant shoots self, found dead in car

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A man found with a gunshot wound to the head inside a car on Staten Island was reportedly a retired NYPD transit sergeant who took his own life.

Police responded to a 911 call at about 11:45 p.m. about an unconscious man inside a vehicle on the exit ramp of the Staten Island Expressway near the Castleton Corners section of the borough.

The 48-year-old man had shot himself in the head.  The NYPD has not released his identity but Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said the suicide was the 10th of the year connected to the NYPD.

EMS rushed the man to Richmond University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

There has been a rash of suicides within the NYPD.  At least nine officers have taken their lives in 2019.

Police Commissioner James O'Neill has declared a mental health crisis in the department amid a recent spate of officer suicides.

He has sent messages reminding officers of available resources and urging them to seek help.

After the latest suicide Adams tweeted:  "I encourage any officer who is contemplating suicide to reach out to an organization you trust, like Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (POPPA), at 888-267-7267. Or you can text BLUE to 741741. Help is available."