🚨 The Cruiser in the Yard: Lorain Sergeant Under Investigation After Off-Duty Crash
By Aaron C. Knapp | Lorain Politics Unplugged
This report is based on publicly available news accounts, direct witness statements, and my own attempts to verify crash documentation through public records requests. As of this writing, the Ohio State Patrol crash report has not been made public, and the Lorain Police Department has not fulfilled my records request filed on April 23. This article will be updated as records are released.
![[Image]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc2a6fef2-5e3f-4e7b-a57c-6cf2c5a4e574_1024x720.jpeg "[Image]")
I. A Crash, a Cruiser, and a Community Still Waiting
On April 17, 2025, just before 11:00 p.m., residents near Long Avenue and West Ninth Street were jolted by what some thought were gunshots. It wasn’t gunfire. It was the sound of a Lorain police cruiser allegedly smashing through parked vehicles and a shed, then fleeing the scene.
According to The Chronicle-Telegram, Sergeant Eric Rivera was off-duty when he allegedly crashed a 2020 Dodge Charger—assigned to the Lorain Police Department—into two civilian vehicles, a burn barrel, and a backyard shed.
The article states Rivera reportedly went left of center on West Ninth Street, struck a curb, drove through an empty lot, collided with the vehicles and shed, then backed up, turned around, and drove off.
Sharon Parsons, whose silver 2004 Honda Civic was hit, told the paper, “It was unbelievable — I’m like, are you serious that it was an off-duty police officer?”
The article also notes that Rivera’s cruiser was later towed by Sugar Ridge Towing and documented as having “functional damage” to the right and underside.
The official crash report still has not been released. I submitted a formal records request on April 23. As of publication, the City of Lorain has not provided any response or documentation.
No public statement has been issued by the Lorain Police Department, and the Ohio State Patrol has not confirmed any independent investigation.
In the meantime, the community is left with more questions than answers—and the victims of the crash are navigating a system that appears uninterested in transparency.
II. What the Neighbors Saw — and What They Were Told
Sharon Parsons told The Chronicle-Telegram that she was asleep when she heard loud noises and sirens. When she stepped outside, she began learning from neighbors that it had been a police vehicle.
The vehicle, she said, had struck her Civic—backed into its spot directly in front of her door—and then her son’s 1996 Honda Accord before hitting a shed.
Parsons told the paper that when neighbors told police a cruiser was involved, “initial witness reports... were dismissed by the officers who arrived at the scene.”
The next morning, she went into the nearby field and reportedly found parts of the cruiser, including debris bearing Lorain Police Department decals. She turned them over to LPD.
“I was sick to my stomach when I saw it,” Parsons told the paper. “Unbelievable was all I could say … [I would be] afraid to park on the street, but it never crossed my mind to fear for my car here in my driveway.”
She said she then tried to contact the Lorain Police Traffic Bureau and the city’s insurance carrier. The insurance reportedly told her “there was no incident in their system.”
That revelation has raised serious questions about whether the city’s internal reporting system acknowledged the crash—and if so, when.
Parsons says she’s still waiting to hear from officials about how or if she’ll be compensated. She is now without reliable transportation due to the crash.
III. Alcohol Listed, But No Test Taken
The Chronicle report states that alcohol was listed as a suspected factor in the crash. However, no blood alcohol test was administered to Sgt. Rivera.
Deputy Chief Mike Failing told the paper that “a lapse in time between the crash and when officers spoke with Rivera” prevented testing.
This is a critical detail. In any case where alcohol is suspected, a timely test is necessary to determine impairment. No explanation has been provided for the delay in making contact with Rivera.
There is no public information about when officers reached Rivera, who contacted him, or how the decision not to test was made.
The lack of testing leaves a gap that can’t be retroactively filled. Once time passes, blood alcohol evidence becomes legally unusable.
Failing confirmed Rivera was off-duty, but The Chronicle notes that some officers in Lorain are permitted to take cruisers home. That policy has not been addressed publicly in light of this crash.
To date, there is no confirmation of whether body camera or dash camera footage exists for the night in question.
Without documentation, the public cannot assess the seriousness of the department’s response—or lack thereof.
IV. Charges Filed, Investigation Underway
Rivera has been charged with two misdemeanors: failure to control and failure to stop after an accident. He is scheduled to appear in Lorain Municipal Court on May 6.
Deputy Chief Failing confirmed to the paper that the department has opened an internal investigation through the Office of Professional Standards.
Rivera was placed on paid administrative leave “late last week,” according to the Chronicle.
As of today, the department has made no public comment beyond that confirmation. The Fraternal Order of Police has also not returned media requests for comment.
Residents and city observers have expressed concern about the lack of transparency and updates from city officials.
Parsons says she is still trying to navigate the city’s insurance system to receive compensation for her totaled car and her son’s damaged vehicle.
The public is left wondering why more direct accountability hasn’t been pursued, especially when the driver involved is a public employee operating a city-owned vehicle.
With the city declining comment, and no report released, the narrative is being shaped not by leadership, but by silence.
Final Thought: A Department Under Fire, A City Left Waiting
The Rivera crash comes at a volatile time for the Lorain Police Department. The agency is still weathering the fallout from a months-long internal affairs investigation into Lieutenant Corey Middlebrooks’ allegations of racial discrimination and retaliation.
As reported earlier this month, that investigation spanned over 380 pages and included testimony from dozens of officers—many of whom raised concerns about culture, command accountability, and selective discipline.
It is in this climate of mistrust that a city cruiser was involved in a hit-and-run. That cannot be ignored.
Sharon Parsons did everything right. She parked legally. She reported the damage. She even found physical evidence and turned it in. But instead of clarity, she got confusion. Instead of accountability, she got insurance limbo.
“This shouldn’t have happened,” she said. “And if it did happen, someone should have shown up, explained it, and done something about it.”
The issue now isn’t just Rivera’s conduct—it’s the city’s silence. The longer Lorain delays releasing the crash report, the more the public is left to fill the gaps.
Trust doesn’t erode in one night. It happens slowly—case by case, crash by crash—when communities see officers treated differently than civilians.
The leadership crisis inside LPD only adds to the urgency. If the city wants to demonstrate it can still police itself, it must act now.
Silence is not just a delay tactic. In cases like this, it becomes part of the harm.
By Aaron C. Knapp
Independent journalist. Disabled veteran. Lorain watchdog.
📩 aaronthesocialworker@gmail.com
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It's time for a new police chief in Lorain. It's been nothing but bad publicity ever since Chief Rivera retired. McCann is a clown and he's in way over his head. They should take a lesson from Vermilion Police Chief Hartung. He acts quickly and decisively when internal issues happen.