BRONX, New York -- The off-duty NYPD officer killed in a horrific two-car crash in the Bronx Wednesday morning has been identified.
He is identified as 28-year-old Brian Kessler, assigned to Police Service Area No. 8 of the Housing Bureau.
The head-on accident happened on Shore Road in the Pelham Bay section at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday.
Investigators say Kessler was driving home alone from an overnight shift at NYPD Headquarters when he collided with a city parks department garbage truck.
Kessler was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Officials say he had been on the force for nine months, having joined in April 2018. He graduated from the police academy last October and was assigned to PSA 8 for three months. He was recently engaged.
The other driver had minor injuries and remained at the scene.
The crash happened on the road leading to the NYPD's Rodman's Neck Firing Range, as well as to City Island, and there have been bad accidents at the traffic circle in the past.
The cause is under investigation, but by some accounts, the roads in the area were icy.
WATCH: Police briefing on deadly crash